Authors: Anita Hughes
Lake Como (31 page)
Hallie hesitated. “I’m leaving for San Francisco tonight.”
“So am I.” Angus produced a bright red plane ticket from his pocket. “American Airlines Rome to San Francisco.”
“What will you do with Milo?” Hallie murmured, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Alfonso said they’d take care of Milo.” Angus put his mouth on hers. “He said they need the practice.”
Hallie and Angus approached the house together. Portia, Alfonso, Francesca, Marcus, and Angelica were lined up in the driveway like a scene from
Downton Abbey
. Sophia stood on the top step, wearing an emerald satin dress and gold slippers.
“You didn’t all have to be here.” Hallie laughed, her fingers entwined with Angus’s. “Angus has decided to return to San Francisco. We’re going to travel together.”
“I’m going to miss you.” Portia hugged Hallie tightly.
“You’re going to be very busy.” Hallie winked, squeezing her arm.
“I have something for you.” Alfonso stood beside Portia. He wore wool pants and a cream silk shirt and carried a long flat box.
“I don’t need any more silk scarves,” Hallie said, accepting his gift.
“Give one to Constance and all your clients.” Alfonso’s black eyes sparkled. “Perhaps I will start exporting silk scarves to America.”
Hallie approached Sophia and took a deep breath. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
Sophia’s pale blue eyes glistened. “Perhaps you will bring Constance when you return for Portia’s wedding.”
“I’ll get you on the phone with Dr. Michaels,” Hallie replied. “If anyone can convince him to let her travel, you can.”
“We better go.” Francesca consulted her watch. “You don’t want to miss your plane.”
“You’re coming?” Hallie asked her mother.
“Someone has to make sure Pliny doesn’t drive like a madman.” Francesca smiled, jumping into the passenger seat of the small black car.
Hallie sat silently on the drive to Milan, drinking in the beauty of Lake Como. She watched the lake recede, saw the clusters of villages disappear. She gripped Angus’s hand tightly, his knee pressed against hers.
They arrived at the Milan airport and Angus carried Hallie’s suitcase onto the sidewalk. Pliny and Francesca climbed out of the car, and they were surrounded by families, hugging and kissing good-bye.
“Give my love to Constance.” Francesca hugged Hallie tightly. “Tell her to obey Dr. Michaels’s orders.”
“Perhaps we will come to San Francisco at Christmas,” Pliny suggested. “I have always wanted to try American traditions.”
“Louisa will make stuffed Cornish hens and roasted potatoes.” Hallie gave Pliny and Francesca a final hug. She blinked furiously, trying to hold back the tears.
Pliny kissed Hallie’s cheek. He turned to Angus and held out his hand. “Take care of my little girl.”
Angus gazed at Hallie’s pale blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. He shook Pliny’s hand firmly and nodded. “I will.”
acknowledgments
Thank you to my terrific agent, Melissa Flashman, for being such a pleasure to work with. A huge thanks to the amazing team at St. Martin’s Press. Hilary Teeman, my brilliant editor, and Sarah Jae-Jones, her wonderful assistant, took my story and made it so much richer. I am grateful to Audrey Campbell and Eileen Rothschild for making sure my books go to all the right places, and to Elsie Lyons for her breathtaking cover designs. Thank you to Jennifer Weis and Mollie Traver for welcoming me into the St. Martin’s family.
A big thank-you to all the new friends who have supported me: Jane Porter, Kaira Rouda, Christine Schwab, and Beatriz Chantall Williams. I have found many of you on Facebook and you have made being an author so much fun. And as always, the biggest thanks to my family. My husband, Thomas; my children, Alex, Andrew, Heather, Madeleine, and Thomas—and Lisa—you bring me so much joy.
Discussion Questions
1. Hallie seems to want to marry Peter to please her grandmother and keep up with all her friends more than because she is deeply in love with him. Do you think Hallie should know better, or is it easy to get swept along into doing what is expected of you?
2. Portia doesn’t tell Riccardo she doesn’t want children because she is afraid he will leave her. Do you think she should take some responsibility for the failure of their marriage, or would admitting her fears make no difference in Riccardo’s behavior?
3. Hallie and her mother are more like sisters, and Constance is the main maternal figure in Hallie’s life. How do you think this has influenced Hallie’s choices about her career and men?
4. Hallie finds Francesca’s diaries and is horrified at what she reads, yet ultimately Hallie forgives her mother. Do you agree with Hallie, or do you think what Francesca did was unforgivable?
5. How do you see Angus? Do you think he is a good person who ended up in a tragic situation, or do you think his character is flawed?
6. Do you think Hallie was right to give Angus a second chance? Have you ever given someone a second chance and were you glad you did?
7. Hallie and Portia live in different countries but their bond is very strong. Describe your own relationships with your siblings. What keeps you connected?
8. Why does Portia have a much harder time forgiving Francesca than Hallie does? Do you think Portia will ever forgive her mother?
9. Lake Como is described as one of the most beautiful locations in the world. Name a place that you long to visit—would you consider living there, or would you only like to go there on vacation?
10.
Lake Como
is about many different kinds of love—the love between sisters, between fathers and daughters, men and women, mothers and daughters. Name the important relationships in your life. How have they changed over time?
For more reading group suggestions, visit
www.readinggroupgold.com
.
Also by Anita Hughes
Monarch Beach
Market Street
About the Author
ANITA HUGHES is also the author of
Monarch Beach
and
Market Street
. She attended UC Berkeley’s Masters in Creative Writing Program, and has taught creative writing at The Branson School in Ross, California. Hughes lives in Dana Point, California, where she is at work on her next novel.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
LAKE COMO.
Copyright © 2013 by Anita Hughes. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
Cover design by Elsie Lyons
Cover photographs: woman © Radius Images/Getty Images; Lake Como © Helena Smith/Getty Images
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Hughes, Anita, 1963–
Lake Como / Anita Hughes. — First edition.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-250-01773-4 (trade pbk.)
ISBN 978-1-250-01772-7 (e-book)
1. Single women—Fiction. 2. Man-woman relationships—Fiction. 3. Self-realization in women—Fiction. 4. Americans—Italy—Fiction. 5. Family secrets—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3608.U356755L35 2013
813'.6—dc23
2013004024
eISBN 9781250017727
First Edition: August 2013
