style="font-size:15px;"> ‘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.’
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