They said goodbye to Lorenzo and Claire, who were very sorry that they could not come with them, and parted for Corona. Corona came out to be everything they had hoped for. It was a little town, not unlike all the others in Tuscany but still an exquisite pearl, very enjoyable and beautiful. They tried to see everything they could manage; even the Casa Bramasole Sophie had heard about and insisted to see. They ate ice cream on the Plaza and visited the fortress on the highest hill of Cortona. The fortress was a hit for the boys, they imagined the fortress being attacked and how they were soldiers that needed to protect the people against the enemies. The guide was especially good, thought Sophie and Charlie, mainly because he told the boys about all the ghosts that haunted the place which fascinated and intrigued Harry and Ewan. They didn't even protest when their parents told them they were going to see Casa Bramasole.

Casa Bramasole was beautiful. Sophie was enchanted with the place and she understood why Frances Mayes had fallen in love with it. It had charms, a little "something" that made it stood out from the others. The gates were closed but it didn't stop her from seeing everything. The boys became bored and started to run around disturbing the peace of the moment.

"Will you be quiet?" Sophie asked.

The boys looked at her with a surprised look.

"Mum! Why do we have to look at a boring house?" Ewan asked.

"Because…it is famous!"

"Honey, let's leave."

Sophie sighed. The problem of being the only woman in the household was that you were the only one to appreciate things such as art or a beautiful house, at least, thought Sophie, in her case. Charlie could be patient but even he had his limits. But before she could open her mouth to agree, the front door opened and Frances Mayes in person came out. Sophie gasped, not entirely realizing the importance of the situation. Frances seemed to be on her way somewhere because she headed to her car but she saw the family standing outside the gates and walked over to them. Frances was exactly the same as on her pictures. Her smile was open and friendly; her manners encouraging.

"Hello! Why are you standing there? Come in!"

Sophie got out of her dreaminess and recovered her tongue.

"I am sorry to bother you but we just wanted to see the house and by no means want to intrude on you."

"Don't be silly, you are not intruding. Come in, I have just the things for your boys."

She let them in and gave them a piece of tiramisu, which was as a coincidence the boys' favourite dessert. While the boys ate heartily of the tiramisu, Frances showed Sophie and Charlie the house, inviting them into her intimacy. After awhile, she looked at Sophie a bit closer and suddenly laughed.

"Wait, you're Sophie Wyman, who writes for the New Yorker!"

"Yes, sorry I didn't introduce myself before, it's terribly rude. This is my husband, Charlie Wyman."

"Nice to meet you Charlie," said Frances with a wink to Charlie.

"The pleasure is mine, Mrs. Mayes. You have a lovely house."

"Thank you, but please, call me Frances. Oh, do you want to see the garden?"

"Oh yes! Sophie exclaimed. I need to call the boys first."

The garden was beautiful and was equally charming as the house. The boys ran along the hedges and Sophie looked around in delight. Frances showed them around with pride and it was not difficult to be charmed by her enthusiasm. Time flew and before they knew it, they had to leave.

"I am sorry that you have to leave so soon. You should come back sometimes!"

They promised they would come back some day and left the beautiful house. In the car, everyone was silent. An eventful day was always accompanied by silence, to swallow the impressions of the day. Against their will, they had had fun and the day had perhaps lifted their moods. The boys were half-sleeping on each other's shoulders, Sophie was looking out of the window, admiring the great landscape of Tuscany and Charlie was ruminating.

"Sophie, said he in a low voice, I feel bad right now."

"Why? You have done nothing wrong, haven't you?" she asked in a quizzical voice.

"I have been enjoying myself. Visiting and meeting new friends and yet my grandma is on the point of dying. How more horrible could I possibly be?" He passed his hand in his sun blond hair, a sure sign that he was distressed.

Sophie laid a hand on his arm.

"No, love, you should not feel bad. It was what Claire wanted. She would not like us to be weeping at her bed side. Lorenzo and she know very well that if anything happens, they can call us anytime. The boys love their grandma very much but they would be very bored by doing so."

Charlie relaxed a little and he smiled with affection toward his wife, who returned the smile.

Their timing was perfect because when they came home, the dinner was set on the table. The boys ran to Lorenzo and told him all of the wonders they had seen while their parents went up to see how Claire was doing. She was awake when they entered the room and she welcomed them with a tired smile.

"My darlings! How have your day been?"

"Lovely Grandma, absolutely lovely. How are you today?"

" I'm fine dear, don't worry about me. Now, will you go down and start to eat? I need to talk with Sophie for a few seconds.

Charlie nodded and disappeared from the room. Sophie sat down on the edge of the bed and took Claire's hand.

"What is it Claire?"

"Sophie, I must be honest with you. The end is near, I can sense it. It is weird but sometimes life can be pretty weird. Don't weep darling, we all die. It is tonight I am destined to die. Now, I don't know when but when it will happen, I want to you to be at my side. I am going to talk to you all the way, about everything you don't know about me, like my childhood and my first years with my first husband. I sound very cheesy right now but I don't care. I will tell you later why I have never said anything before. I will also give you a mission, a very important mission that I want you to accomplish. Now, give me the tray with food and go eat dinner with your family. I will be waiting for you tonight."

Sophie was a bit shaken by the passionate speech but she didn't let it show to anyone at the dinner. She figured that what Claire had said to her would remain secret and Charlie would be crushed if she said that Claire would die tonight. Charlie wondered why his grandma had said to her and she replied that she didn't want to be disturbed by anyone tonight. She said when the dinner was eaten that she would turn in early. She went upstairs and looked behind her before she sneaked into Claire's room. She was asleep but Sophie tapped her lightly on the shoulder and she awoke.

"Thank you Sophie. Can you please put the tray away? I didn't have energy to remove it myself. So, I bet you are very excited about my story. Well sit here and open your ears.