It wasn’t really the way she wanted to leave things with Piero but it looked as if he had plenty to do with the rest of his Saturday anyway. In case her leaving smacked of sneaking off in disgrace, she texted him. Going for lunch with Ursula. Thanks for the private tour and the starry night. x

They were eating salad in Piazza Lucia an hour later when she received the reply. Your pleasure was my pleasure. x It gave her a skippy feeling inside but she couldn’t help but notice the word ‘was’.

Chapter Thirteen

On Sunday morning Zia awoke before seven, tossing and turning like a guilty child who’d broken someone else’s toy. To take her mind off whether she and her clever ideas had unwittingly hindered Piero in his mission to keep Il Rifugio, she got up and found Ursula’s bedroom door ajar, her bedclothes tossed back. She wasn’t anywhere to be seen in the cottage or outside. Surprised that her friend had beaten her in the early rising stakes, Zia showered, dressed and took her toast outside.

She was checking her phone for messages as she ate her breakfast when she heard Ursula yell, ‘Zia!’ and, looking round, saw her bounding across the paving in yellow camisole pyjamas, hair on end, eyes blazing with excitement.

‘I’ve been in the gazebo, talking to Stephan,’ Ursula gabbled. ‘He texted to say he missed me and I saw it when I got up for a pee so I rang him to say I missed him, too. We’ve talked and talked.’ She did a little shimmy, her face radiant. ‘Things are looking better. He admits he overreacted but he was wild with jealousy when that feller dragged me in rat-arsed. But he says his life’s empty without me. Oh, Zia!’ She dragged Zia up and gave her a huge hug, disregarding the toast crumbs. ‘Isn’t it grand?’

Laughing, glad that there had been a breakthrough in negotiations, Zia hugged her back. ‘Super-grand! I hope he’s been thoroughly miserable.’ This glowing, sparkling Ursula was a vast improvement on the dull, unhappy one Zia had grown used to in the last months.

‘I’m starving.’ Ursula vanished indoors in search of coffee and a pastry and almost immediately Zia’s phone buzzed with a text from Piero. She opened it, tummy flipping with apprehension.

Do you have plans? Fancy morning coffee at Piazza Lucia? Ursula invited too. x

It was as if a tiny grey cloud had lifted. After yesterday lunchtime’s brief text exchange and then not hearing from him she’d resigned herself to the fact that there would be no more dates for them. Although her heart’s dudda-dudda-dudda belied it, when Ursula returned with her breakfast, she adopted a casual air as she exhibited the message.