He gave a rapid, exasperated shake of his head. ‘I daren’t. I was scared I’d say the wrong thing. I wanted to look you in the eye and talk. I’d been trying to get you alone back home but it was like trying to creep up on a wild bird with a net. You kept flitting away. Then I got that text and my heart just about broke. I realised I had to be a lot more fucking determined.’

Inside Zia, a tiny shoot of hope began to grow. ‘Renting an apartment here is definitely that.’ She took a step towards him, her heart beating so fast it felt as if it were lifting her off the carpet. She saw him relax, begin to smile, and the shoot of hope grew like a beanstalk as she closed the last few inches between them.

Sliding his arms about her he pressed his lips to her cheeks, her eyelids, her mouth, pressed himself against her so she could feel the gallop of his heart. ‘Marry me, Zia. I’ll live wherever you’re happiest.’

She drew back to look into his face, finding it hard to take in his words. ‘You don’t want to get married.’

His smile flashed. ‘I didn’t want to get married to Nicoletta. I want to be married to you.’

‘You’ve fought tooth and nail to keep Il Rifugio.’

‘I love it there,’ he admitted stroking her hair aside so he could nuzzle her neck. ‘I love you more. You’re more important than a house, even one with a world-class view. You’re a world-class view all on your own.’ His mouth moved to the place beneath her ear that set her skin on fire.

‘But,’ she stuttered, tipping back her head and closing her eyes, ‘living in England will freeze your arse off.’ But inside her the beanstalk of hope was going crazy, blossoming with relief and joy.

He sighed as if she were just creating obstacles. ‘I’ll wear thermal boxers.’

Then her phone began to ring and she snatched it from her pocket to silence it … until she saw the name on the screen. Slowly she showed it to Piero. Gerardo Costa.

He lifted his hands. ‘Nothing to do with me.’

‘I realise that.’ To emphasise her trust in him she looped her spare arm around his waist so he couldn’t leave while she answered, holding the handset so he could hear. ‘Pronto.’ She felt her shoulders hunch as if to ward off something unpleasant.

‘Gliel’ho dovuto dire,’ said Gerardo without preamble.

Zia hesitated. ‘You had to tell them? Who? What?’

‘Ay, ay, ay,’ grumbled Gerardo, uninformatively. ‘Riccardo, he complained I was always in a mood these days. Caterina and Laura, they joined in. So, I told them about you.’