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

‘Piacere,’ said the boy, with a bow that won him a stare from Lowri.

‘Hello, Andrea,’ said Hester, smiling. ‘You like swimming?’

‘Very much, signora, but we have no pool at the Castello,’ he said in English more heavily accented than his father’s. He turned to an unusually silent Lowri. ‘You like to swim?’

She nodded briefly and looked up uncertainly at Hester, who smiled at her reassuringly.

‘Why not run and tell Daddy that the Count is here with his son?’

‘OK.’ Lowri took another look at the boy, then went running up the garden to the house.

‘We have interrupted your swim,’ apologised Luigi, watching with a wry smile as Connah emerged from the house and strode towards them. ‘Buon giorno. I regret that you have not one but two trespassers today.’

‘Good morning.’ Connah put his arm round Hester as he smiled at the boy making every nerve in her body tingle in response. ‘Hello, there. I’m Connah Carey Jones.’

The slim, dark boy bowed again. ‘Andrea Martinelli. Where is the girl, signore?’

‘My daughter’s getting dressed.’ Connah smiled down into Hester’s face. ‘Would you like to do the same, darling? Ask Flavia to bring some coffee to the loggia.’

‘Of course.’ Hester excused herself and went up the garden into the house, to find that Flavia was already in a fever of activity to provide Il Conte and his son with refreshments.

‘Poverino,’ she said as she laid the tray.

With no hope of understanding the answer if she asked why Flavia pitied the boy, Hester went upstairs to change and found Lowri at her window, pulling on shorts and T-shirt as she cast a wary eye at the visitors.

‘Are they staying?’ she demanded.

‘Only for coffee. I’ll just throw some clothes on, then we’ll go down and show off our exceedingly good manners.’ Hester grinned and, after a moment, Lowri grinned back reluctantly.

‘OK! I’ll wait for you.’

Hester tied up her damp hair with a ribbon and pulled on white linen trousers and blue shirt, hoping that next time she met the Count, if there was a next time, she would be fully dressed from the start. ‘Ready?’ she asked as she looked into Lowri’s room.

‘I suppose so. Why has that boy got a girl’s name?’

‘It’s not a girl’s name here. It’s Italian for Andrew.’

‘I hope he doesn’t stay long.’

‘I thought he looked lonely, standing there by himself. Perhaps he just wants some company.’

Lowri heaved a sigh and followed Hester downstairs. ‘He’s got a funny accent,’ she commented.

The atmosphere on the loggia was much more cordial than on the previous occasion, Hester noted as she sat down to pour coffee.

‘Luigi says that young Andrea heard you playing in the pool and couldn’t resist coming to have a look,’ said Connah, pulling his chair close to Hester’s.

‘Will you have coffee or lemonade, Andrea?’ she asked.

‘Lemonade, if you please, signora,’ he said formally, and Hester filled a glass for Lowri to pass to him. ‘Grazie,’ he said, smiling at her.

‘So how are you enjoying your holiday, Hester?’ asked Luigi.

‘Very much. We went to Greve yesterday. It’s a delightful town.’

‘A pity you are not here in September for the wine fair, which is Chianti’s largest,’ he commented, accepting a cup of coffee. ‘Connah came last year with the Andersons.’

‘That was one of the visits I mentioned, Hester,’ said Connah. ‘Lowri, why not take Andrea for a walk round the garden?’

His daughter shot a bright, accusing look at him, but after another at Hester she got up reluctantly and went off with the boy.

‘They are like two little animals, prowling round each other ready to bite,’ said Luigi, smiling after them indulgently. His eyes darkened. ‘My son gave me a very bad fright earlier when he could not be found.’

Connah nodded. ‘I can appreciate that. Don’t you have someone to keep watch over him?’

‘Of course, his precettore, his tutor. But the poor fellow went into the house to answer a call of nature—scusi, Hester—and when he came back Andrea had vanished. He ran off in anger because I had just told him I must return to Rome for a day or two tomorrow on business and wish him to stay here while I am away.’

‘Is there no one for him to play with at the Castello?’ asked Hester.

‘Apart from the servants, there is only Guido. But I will be away only a short time. It is better he stays here than endure the journey to Rome and back.’

Connah nodded absently, watching the boy dabbling his hands in the pool while Lowri looked on, telling him something he was listening to intently. ‘They seem to be getting on well enough now.’

Hester could see that. Andrea appeared to be nodding in enthusiastic agreement to something Lowri was saying, then the boy brushed the water from his hands and the pair ran up the garden together.

‘Daddy,’ said Lowri, ‘can Andrea have lunch here? I told him Flavia was making ravioli. He likes that.’

Hester could tell by the look on Connah’s face that he was desperate to laugh, but he nodded gravely. ‘We’d be delighted, Andrea. You too, of course, Luigi.’

‘Alas, I cannot, I must leave soon.’ Luigi beckoned his son close and, with a word of apology to the others, spoke to him at length in rapid Italian, which the boy responded to with much enthusiastic nodding.

‘Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of him, Luigi,’ said Connah.

‘I have no doubt of that. I was merely telling him to behave well and to make no argument when Guido comes for him later.’ Luigi bowed over Hester’s hand. ‘It was a great pleasure once more. I trust my son did not startle you too much.’

‘No, indeed.’ Hester smiled warmly at the boy, who responded in kind, his eyes sparkling. ‘We’ll be glad to have your company, Andrea.’

‘Grazie, signora.’

Lowri leaned against Hester’s shoulder as father and son took leave of each other, watching as Luigi hugged and kissed his son, then came to smile down at her. ‘Thank you for inviting Andrea, Miss Lowri. You are very kind.’

‘No problem,’ she said casually. ‘He can watch one of my DVDs with me after lunch, if he likes.’