The Count of Castelfino by Christina Hollis

one thing. For Gianni to kiss her hand the same way he had done at Chelsea was a dream beyond anything Meg had ever imagined. She felt inches taller, and even began to look forward to her shopping expedition. The man was a miracle worker.
    Meg usually looked on shopping as a torture. This was a different outing altogether. Today she was under Gianni’s instructions to buy something she really liked, while he picked up the bill. She usually bustled through crowds, head down and hurrying. Today she strolled, taking time to enjoy her afternoon off in the sun. The touch of his lips still tingled on her fingers. Only one tiny cloud lingered on her horizon. It was the thought of what embarrassments might lay in wait for her inside the beautiful shops she would be visiting.
    It took her quite some time to pluck up the courage to put her hand to the door of the first boutique on her list. After that, things happened in such a blur she didn’t have time to lose her nerve. The door flew open as a tall, stick-thin woman decorated with twenty-four carat jewellery strode out. Meg was bundled aside in the rush but a voice from inside the shop was quick to apologise.
    ‘Miss Imsey?’
    She looked up in amazement to see an exquisitely turned out Florentine matron holding the door open for her.
    ‘H-how did you know it was me?’ Meg stammered.
    ‘The Count di Castelfino himself rang to tell us to expect you. Now come inside out of this heat!’
    Meg was made to feel at home instantly, despite all the designer labels. She was almost disappointed to find the perfect dress within minutes. It was a close fitting sheath of sky-blue moiré. Sleeveless and low cut with a matching jacket, it would make the most of her newly acquired tan. The assistant helped her choose an outrageously high pair of silk slingbacks to complement the outfit, and promised they would be dyed to match in time for Gianni’s party. Strutting through a gallery of full-length mirrors, Meg marvelled at her transformation. She felt like a million dollars, and the effect on her was obvious. She glowed. It was amazing—this outfit took pounds off her, and gave her so much confidence! She had never dreamed she could look so good. For the first time she revelled in her own reflection. Instead of seeing Gianni’s coming banquet as a terrifying ordeal, she actually began to look forward to the experience. Expansive with self-confidence, she cheerfully announced that she would take the dress and the shoes, which should all be charged to the Count di Castelfino’s account.
    The manageress shook her head gravely.
    ‘Not yet, madam. I was instructed to ask how many shops you have visited so far before agreeing to sell you anything.’
    ‘This is the first,’ Meg answered honestly, but soon wished she hadn’t. A second assistant gently lifted the beautiful blue outfit from her hands and whisked it away to a back room.
    ‘Don’t worry. We’ll keep it safe for you. But knowing the new count, it is as well to follow his instructions to the letter.’
    Meg could believe it. Her heart sank. All she wanted to do was get back to her little house on the Villa Castelfinoestate. It was the only place in this foreign land she felt truly comfortable. She understood all there was to know about plants, but shopping was a mystery she’d never had enough money to investigate before. It was made only slightly less nerve-racking by the fact that Gianni would be paying.
    ‘Oh, no…does that mean I have to do this all over again, from top to bottom of the city?’ She stared at the sheet of paper Gianni had given her. Her face was as long as his list.
    ‘It may not be so bad, madam. Try to put a brave face on it,’ the assistant sympathised. Her words brought Meg straight back to her senses.
    ‘Good grief, to hear me talk anyone would think this was hard work! If all I’ve got to do to please him is to rifle through a few clothes racks, I’ll be finished in no time!’ she