Will He Ask Her to be His Bride?: The Millionaire's Convenient Bride / The Millionaire's Proposal / Texas Ranger Takes a Bride

‘Is that why you came to fetch me the other night? To meet Mother again?’

‘Partly.’ The dark, intent eyes turned back to hers as though he was about to explain further, but Lowri stirred and sat up, yawning.

‘I’m just like a baby, having naps all the time,’ she complained.

‘This one was very short,’ her father said, kissing her nose. ‘You go off with Hester to wash your face, then we’ll wander round the town again—maybe we’ll even force you to explore the church if the shops aren’t open yet.’

Lowri slid off his lap at once as Hester got up. ‘Do you like churches, Hester?’ she asked, sighing.

‘I’d like to look round this one. Then we can both write about it on our postcards.’

After a leisurely stroll back to the Santa Croce to admire its neo-classical façade, they went inside to look at the paintings. But Lowri grew restive in the dark interior and they soon went outside again into the sunlight, discussing what food to buy in one of the alimentares, the various grocery stores beginning to reopen after their long lunch break.

‘We’ll definitely get your local fare in one of these, Hester,’ said Connah. ‘We might as well stock up while we’re here.’

Lowri was consulted on every purchase as they bought a great bag of tomatoes, another of peaches, crusty Tuscan bread, ricotta cheese and glossy green spinach.

‘Though I’ll leave Flavia to deal with the last two,’ said Hester, smiling. ‘Perhaps she’ll make ravioli for us tomorrow.’

‘I’ll ask her,’ said Lowri promptly. ‘She likes me.’

‘Does she really?’ teased Connah. ‘Now it’s my turn to choose. I want some of those fennel flavoured sausages, and salami, and thin slices of roast turkey breast and ham, and more pecorino cheese. What about you, Hester?’

‘Mozzarella and fresh basil, anchovies and olives, and some of those gorgeous baby lettuces, please.’

‘Anything else? Speak now while I’m in a good mood, and willing to carry all this stuff to the car.’

‘I’ll help,’ said Lowri promptly.

‘I was only teasing, cariad. I’m happy to carry anything Hester wants.’ Connah grinned. ‘After all, she’s going to make supper for us tonight.’

It was the kind of day, thought Hester, as they drove back to the Casa Girasole, that she would keep in her mind like a snapshot to look back at and sigh over during a cold Yorkshire winter. But the day wasn’t over yet, she consoled herself, and once they were back at the house she sent Lowri off to have a swim with her father while she put the food away.

‘If we all help with that, you can swim too,’ said Connah, but Hester shook her head.

‘That’s my job. Besides, I have more idea where everything goes. Then I’ll have a shower and start getting supper ready.’

‘Can I help?’ said Lowri eagerly.

‘Of course,’ said Hester.

‘No cooking,’ Connah reminded her.

‘My choices were made with that in mind!’

Lowri’s swim with her father was surprisingly brief.

‘It wasn’t the same for her without you,’ said Connah as his daughter ran upstairs to shower. He rubbed at his hair with the sleeve of his towelling robe, his smile wry. ‘I begin to see what you mean. Tomorrow morning I’ll walk into the village with her while you do anything you want.’

‘Laundry,’ said Hester promptly.

He laughed. ‘I was thinking more of a book by the pool with a long drink.’

‘I can do that later, when you come back.’

Connah looked back at her as he made for the stairs. ‘Did you enjoy the day, Hester?’

‘Enormously.’ She smiled cheerfully. ‘Once Lowri comes down I’ll get supper ready. Though after lunch I couldn’t imagine wanting to eat another thing today.’

‘Well, I can, easily, so be generous.’ He paused. ‘Not that I need to say that, Hester. Generosity comes naturally to you.’ His dark eyes held hers. ‘It was a lucky day for me when you came back into my life.’

Hester flushed, deprived of speech for a moment. He held the look a moment longer, then smiled and carried on up the stairs. Hester pulled herself together and went up to check on Lowri’s progress and found her wrapped in her robe, gazing out of her window at the view. She turned with a sigh.

‘I wish Mr Anderson would sell this house to Daddy. I just love it here. I’m sure Grandma would love it too.’ She frowned. ‘But she doesn’t like flying—perhaps Daddy could bring her here by train if we have another holiday here.’

‘In the meantime,’ said Hester practically, ‘let’s get that hair dry so you can dress and help me put supper on.’

One of the many attractions about the holiday for Hester was the lack of hurry about everything. There was no rush to make supper and if Lowri went to bed later than usual it didn’t matter in the slightest, because next morning she could sleep until she woke naturally.

‘I thought we’d have bruschetta first,’ said Hester, when a very clean and shining Lowri reported for duty. ‘That’s thick slices of the bread we bought, with a sprinkling of olive oil and some of those gorgeous tomatoes chopped and topped with basil, anchovies and olives.’

‘I’ve never had anchovies,’ said Lowri, inspecting them. ‘They’re all furry. How can you have furry fish?’

‘Magic. But you can have yours without, if you like.’

‘Does Daddy like them?’

‘I don’t know. So we’ll just go as far as the tomatoes and basil, and put the olives and anchovies in little pots to add as required.’

‘I’ll do that, then,’ said Lowri promptly. ‘What else are we having?’

‘Turkey, ham and salami. I’ll whip some lemon juice and this wonderful olive oil together for a dressing for the lettuces, and you can get the cheese out.’

Connah crossed the hall later and paused in the kitchen doorway, unnoticed for a moment as he watched Hester and Lowri working together, the gleaming fair head bent to the shiny dark one. Then Hester looked up and smiled and the idea that had germinated in Albany Square, and had been growing in strength ever since, crystallized into certainty.

‘It’s a hive of activity in here,’ he commented, smiling, and Lowri whirled round to beam at him.

‘Supper’s almost ready, Daddy.’

CHAPTER NINE

AFTER their trip to Greve, all three of them were content to stay at the house the next day. After a leisurely breakfast Connah went indoors to contact John Austin, but Lowri was perfectly happy to take her morning swim with only Hester for company. They played a splashing, noisy game with a ball, with rules that Lowri made up with screams of laughter as she went along until Hester called time at last. While they were towelling themselves dry on the edge of the pool, Lowri stiffened and nudged Hester. ‘Look!’

A boy stood watching them from the area where the woods of Martinelli territory edged the grounds of Casa Girasole.

Hester pulled her towelling robe on quickly, wondering if she should call Connah, then heard someone in the distance shouting ‘Andrea!’ and Luigi Martinelli came racing through the trees with a younger man close behind. He clasped the boy in passionate relief but the boy pushed him away, embarrassed, and spoke urgently to him. Luigi spun round, saw they were being watched, then dismissed the young man with him and brought the boy towards the pool.

‘I am intruder again,’ he apologised breathlessly as he drew near. ‘Buon giorno, Miss Hester, Miss Lowri, allow me to present my son, Andrea, who has been missing long enough to cause much anxiety. He heard sounds of laughter from your pool and came to investigate.’