‘You’ve never been to Lucca, Lettice? Never been to Lucca!’ Sir Christopher said, twisting and strangling the name of that city in his throat. ‘I do call that highly eccentric, never having been to Lucca.’
‘Nor Florence either,’ Dame Lettice said proudly.
‘How perfectly extraordinary!’
‘You know, Christopher, I never did much care for abroad. I once accompanied Maud to Lyons, so that we could see the Musée des Tissus. Very interesting it was, I am sure, but the food. Onions over everything! One was sick for a month afterwards. It’s only because the Italians are bringing out an edition of my complete works, all in new translations, that one has consented to come here. They are, of course, paying all our expenses. Perfectly frightful what travel costs today, isn’t it?’
‘Now, we really mu
