‘I’ll pick you up. Seven thirty?’ When she agreed, he once again kissed her cheeks. His lips brushed her skin like a breath, his hand grazing the bare flesh at the sensitive base of her neck for just an instant. He murmured, ‘I look forward to this evening,’ and made off towards his own property with long strides, leaving Zia to head back to Villino Il Pino with butterflies somersaulting in her tummy.

It’s just a date, she told herself. It’s not like it’s my first one. It’s just the first one since Brendon. A break from men had been a natural reaction to catching her boyfriend cheating but an evening with Piero Domenicali’s flashing smile and dark eyes was definitely a good way to end it.

She let herself into Villino Il Pino’s shady interior. Her laptop waited on the table and she’d just taken out her credit card when her ringtone danced onto the air. She faltered when she saw her phone screen. Stephan? He and Zia weren’t in the habit of chatting since she’d broken up with his best friend and he’d hit the pause button with hers. He knew where her sympathies lay. She completely understood him being rocked by some stranger bringing his unconscious wife home but to dump her just in case she’d cheated? That didn’t sit well. In fact, Zia had a whole issue around him throwing Ursula out as if she didn’t own their house every bit as much as he did. Stephan keeping Ursula in limbo, not exactly ending his marriage but not exactly not ending it either, put Zia’s back up too.

‘Hi, Stephan.’ As she waited for him to speak she opened her laptop with her free hand.

‘I just tried to ring Ursula,’ he said, without saying ‘hi’ back.

‘Oh?’ Zia opened the email from the private investigator to locate the link to the payment screen.

‘Her phone seems to be off,’ he said tentatively. ‘I thought you might know where she is.’

Zia clicked the link while she considered his motives. The temptation to be unhelpful was enormous because, in her humble opinion, Stephan deserved a little shirtiness. Or even shittiness. It wouldn’t make things easier for Ursula, though. ‘She’s gone to visit some nuns,’ she said.

‘Nuns?’ Stephan sounded astounded.

‘I don’t think she’s entering holy orders. She’s become interested in painted ceramics.’ She explained the trip to the monastery.

‘Oh … I see.’ Stephan sounded relieved.