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