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

‘Was it, by God?’ Connah’s face set in grim lines. ‘What did you do?’

‘I refused his help politely and stood my ground until he moved off. I would have liked Sam to get a look at him, but I couldn’t risk letting him anywhere near Lowri.’

‘Maybe it was quite innocent and the man was just trying to pick you up,’ said Connah and smiled, his eyes gleaming. ‘Who could blame him?’

She flushed. ‘Possibly. But he looked familiar, which worried me. Though I’m sure I’d never seen him before the other night, unless he is the man in the park. I didn’t get a good enough look that day to be able to tell.’

‘But if you met this one again, you’d recognise him?’

‘Definitely. I was so pointed about not moving until he did, I had time for a good look at his face, also of his back view as he walked away. He was wearing casual clothes, but they were the expensive, designer kind, like his shoes. And he wore a Rolex watch,’ added Hester.

Connah gazed at her with respect. ‘You’re very observant.’

‘In this case only because I thought it was necessary. I doubt I’d have noticed any of that in ordinary circumstances.’ She gave him a worried look. ‘I’m really glad we’re going away tomorrow. Whoever this man is, we’ll be out of his reach.’

‘Which was part of my reason for organising the holiday.’ Connah finished his drink, then sat back. ‘Right then, Hester, with that thought in mind, I want you to forget about the man and relax while we’re away. The house is a mile or so from the village, so there aren’t many people around to bother us. It has a private pool, a maid to do the housework and shopping, so you have nothing to do except keep Lowri entertained. No small task, as I know to my cost, even though you make it look easy.’

‘In my last post I looked after three-year-old twins,’ she reminded him. ‘After my stint with Seb and Viola, sweet children though they are, taking care of Lowri is a breeze.’

‘A theatrical household must have been interesting,’ he commented, leaning back.

‘It was.’

‘Did you meet many famous thespians?’

‘One or two, yes. But Leo and Julia, the twins’ parents, were on stage in different theatres during the last few months I was there, so I spent most of my time with only the twins for company.’

‘Quite a responsibility.’

‘True,’ agreed Hester, ‘but it’s what I was trained for. I was in at the deep end right from the start of my first job. I had to complete nine months of satisfactory work with the children of the first family who engaged me before I could actually qualify as a Norland-trained nanny.’

‘Which you did, of course, though I can’t remember your CV in detail. Were you with the first people long?’

‘Three years, until the family went to Australia. Beforehand they had recommended me to their friend, Julia Herrick, and I went straight to Julia a month before she gave birth to the twins.’

‘And when you leave us you’re going off to Yorkshire,’ said Connah, his eyes sombre. ‘I’m already dreading the day you part with Lowri.’

So was Hester. ‘As I said before, it’s the part of my job I don’t enjoy.’ She finished her drink and stood up. ‘But now I’d better finish packing.’

Lowri was fast asleep, with her head on Hester’s shoulder, missing the incredible views as Connah drove along the final stage of their journey on the Chiantigiana, the famous road that meandered through the hills and vineyards of Tuscany. The air-conditioning in the car was fighting a losing battle with the heat of the day and Hester felt hot and weary by the time they were in sight of the sleepy little village they were heading for. To her disappointment, Connah turned off without entering it and took a narrow, stony road that curved up through umbrella pines and ranks of tall cypresses towards high pink walls at the top of a hill.

‘Is that Casa Girasole?’

‘It certainly is.’

Connah nosed the car through high wrought iron gates and drew up in the courtyard of a pink-washed house with Juliet balconies at the upper windows. Hester gazed in delight, drinking in heat and sun and flowers growing in profusion in rich hot earth. Tiny pink roses twined in the greenery, curling round the pillars of the loggia, and three descending tiers of flower beds held drifts of white jasmine among scarlet and pink geraniums and the cheery faces of the sunflowers that gave the house its name.

He turned round in his seat to smile at Hester. ‘Well?’

‘It’s absolutely lovely,’ she said softly, and Lowri stirred and sat up, rubbing eyes which suddenly opened wide in delight.

‘Are we here? Is that the house? Gosh, it’s pretty! Why didn’t you wake me?’

‘You’re awake now,’ said her father, and got out to open the passenger door. ‘Out you get. Hester must be squashed and very hot. You started snoring on her shoulder as soon as we left Florence.’

‘I don’t snore!’ said Lowri indignantly, then her eyes lit up as she spotted a blue glint in the distance. ‘Wow! Is that the pool? Can we have a swim before supper?’

‘After you’ve unpacked, yes.’ Connah helped Hester out of the car. ‘First we find Flavia, otherwise we can’t get in.’

‘Signore!’ Right on cue, a plump young woman came hurrying round the corner of the house and let out a cry of delight as she saw Lowri. No translation was needed for her flow of liquid welcome as she expressed her pleasure to see them. Shooing them before her like a hen with chicks, she ushered them across the loggia into a living room with a shining terracotta tiled floor and furniture covered in sunny yellow chintz.

‘What’s she saying, Daddy?’ demanded Lowri, smiling helplessly in response to the lava-flow of conversation.

‘We must sit and have drinks, while Flavia takes our luggage upstairs, only I’m not going to let her do that,’ said Connah firmly and, with creditable fluency, told Flavia in her own tongue that refreshments would be welcome, but he himself would carry the bags up to the bedrooms.

‘I’ll carry my own,’ said Hester at once, but Connah waved her away.

‘For once, you will just sit there,’ he said with such firmness that Lowri laughed.

‘When Daddy talks like that you have to do as he says or he gets cross, Hester.’

‘And you wouldn’t want that, Hester, would you?’ mocked Connah.

Hester smiled, defeated, secretly only too glad to subside on the sofa in the blessedly cool room.

Connah relieved Flavia of a huge tray and brought it to a glass-topped table in front of Hester.

‘How do you say thank you, Daddy?’ asked Lowri, her eye caught by a plate of little cakes.

‘Grazie,’ said Connor, and went out to unpack the car.

‘Grazie , Flavia,’ said Lowri, and the woman beamed, patted the child’s hand and pointed to a teapot.

‘Tè,’ she said, then indicated the other pot and a tall jug clinking with ice. ‘Caffè, limonata.’ Then, with a determined look on her face, she left the room to follow Connah.

‘I think she’s going to help with the luggage,’ said Lowri, examining the rest of the tray. ‘Daddy won’t be cross with her .’

‘No,’ agreed Hester. ‘I’m sure he won’t.’

‘Why are there two jugs of milk?’

‘I expect one’s hot for the coffee and the other’s cold for tea.’ Hester grinned as she heard sounds of altercation outside. ‘Who do you think is winning?’

‘Daddy always wins,’ said Lowri positively, but for once she was wrong.

Connah came into the room later, looking unusually hot and bothered.

‘Flavia insisted on helping you?’ asked Hester, smiling.