"I cannot endure your tears," he said huskily. "So. I shall let you go back. But not for long. If you love me-"

"I do, I do," she assured him passionately.

"Then resign at once. And I shall come to England and ask your father's permission to marry his daughter," Lorenzo said with decision, and kissed her hard by way of emphasis.

By the time Emily rejoined them they were drinking coffee in the small sitting room, Jess composed and harmony restored.

"The little girls are better," Emily reported, and sat down rather wearily.

"How did your mother take the news about the pleurisy?" asked Jess, passing her a cup of coffee.

"Not terribly well. On top of the chicken pox it was a bit much, poor dear."

"She is naturally anxious," said Lorenzo. "It is Anna's opinion that you will not be well enough to travel on Saturday, Emily. Ask your mother to join you here in a day or two. Next week, after Jessamy has gone, I shall return to the apartment in Pirenze. You may have the house to yourselves, except for Caria and Mario, of course."

But Emily wouldn't hear of it. "It's very kind of you, Lorenzo, but I must go back with Jess," she said firmly. "I already feel much better-"

"Well, you don't look it," said Jess flatly, but just then Anna appeared and put an end to the discussion by stating that it was time her patient was in bed.

Later Jess went out into the courtyard with Lorenzo, to look at the stars in the cool of the evening. "I wish I could stay," she said wistfully.

"Soon you shall stay with me for ever!"

"Will we live here all the time?" asked Jess.

"Some of the time only." Lorenzo put his arm round her and drew her close. "We shall spend our weekends here, the rest of the time at the appartamento." He rubbed his cheek against her hair. "There are occasions when I curse living so close to my work, but last night I gave thanks for such an arrangement," he whispered, his breath warm against her skin.

"So did I," she whispered back, and turned her face up for his kiss.

To her surprise Jess soon found she was as tired as Emily. "I don't know why," she said apologetically, after a second yawn. "Heaven knows I haven't done much today."

"It is the air," said Lorenzo, pulling her to her feet.

"And I had a very strenuous day yesterday-" Jess halted, biting her lip, and Lorenzo laughed softly and held her close.

"We should have such strenuous days more often, tesoro."

Jess was pensive as they went in the house. "The thing is, Lorenzo," she said, as he began turning out lights, "Emily won't ask her mother to come because Mrs Shaw is a widow on a pension. She just wouldn't have the spare cash for the flight."

"Ah, I see!" Lorenzo frowned. "It would be simple to buy a ticket. But how can we arrange it so that the lady is not offended?"

"Tomorrow I'll ring Celia, Emily's sister, and see what can be done."

When Emily was resting after lunch next day Jess made her phone call and found that Celia thought a trip to Tuscany was an excellent idea for her mother. After a rapid consultation with her husband Celia reported that Daddy was taking a fortnight off to help with the convalescence, and would be very happy to provide an air-line ticket to Pisa for Mrs Shaw as a gift for all her hard work.

"Or maybe Jack wants his mother-in-law out of the way now he's home," said Emily privately to Jess, after her mother rang in great excitement to say that she would soon be on her way to Italy.

"Don't they get on?" asked Jess.

"Reasonably well. But Jack works long hours, so he doesn't see much of his family during the week. He'll be glad of time alone with them. Nothing more sinister than that. I hope." Emily sipped her iced fruit juice, frowning. "It seems so hard on you, though, Jess. You're back to the grind, while I'm staying on here where you should be. How are you going to tear yourself away from Lorenzo?"

"With the utmost difficulty," said Jess despondently.

"Tell me to mind my own business, but has he popped the question yet?"

"Yes. But that's not for publication yet, Em. To anyone."

Emily's grey eyes opened wide. "You said yes, of course-" She breathed in sharply, and began to cough, and Anna came hurrying to suggest her patient went indoors where it was cooler.

"You stay here, Jess," said Emily when she could speak. "I think I'll go and have a bath, then read for a while on my bed."

"Not suffering from gooseberry complex by any chance?" demanded Jess suspiciously.

Emily grinned and went off with Anna, leaving Jess alone to gaze at the view. It would be agony to part with Lorenzo, she knew very well, there was no possible way out of it And she would need to warn her family about his proposal before he contacted them himself. Jess tried to imagine the general Dysart reaction to the news, and decided to ask Lorenzo to leave it for a while before breaking it to them, so that the whole idea didn't smack of unseemly haste.

"You are very thoughtful," said Lorenzo, coming to sit beside her. He took her hand and kissed it "You look sad, piccolo"

"I feel sad," she admitted. "I don't want to go back on Saturday, Lorenzo."

"When do you start work?"

"Monday," she said gloomily.

"Then stay until Sunday. Once Emily's mother arrives you have no need to stay here at the villa." Lorenzo's eyes lit with the look which never failed to send heat rushing through her every vein. "We could leave here on Saturday morning, then stay in Firenze until it is time for you to leave."

Jess buried her face against his shoulder. "Yes, please," she said in a muffled voice. "I'd like that very much."

"Be fie!" he said with satisfaction. "Because I have already asked my assistant to make the reservation for Sunday."

"You were so very sure I'd want to stay?"

Lorenzo gave his very Latin shrug. "Why should you be in London alone, I in Firenze alone, when we can be together for an extra day? Guido will fax me shortly with confirmation of your flight."

Jess looked after him with a wry little smile as Lorenzo strode into the house to wait for the fax. .Lorenzo Forii was used to getting his own way. Though in this instance it was very much her own way, too. He was right. She wouldn't have time to get down to Friars Wood and back. And to spend Saturday night and Sunday on her own in London was madness when the alternative was extra time with Lorenzo. Alone with Lorenzo, she reminded herself, and gave an ecstatic little shiver at the thought of it.

Jess had fully expected her stay at the Villa Fortuna to be frustrating, since there would be little opportunity to be alone with Lorenzo, and even when they were the likelihood of interruption would prevent anything other than hand-holding and a kiss or two. But in some strange way she soon found she liked the arrangement very much. After rushing headlong into the ultimate intimacy with Lorenzo Forii it was strangely satisfying to back-track a little, just to be together, whether alone or not it was a joy just to walk with him, to explore the property, or to sit and talk under the trees in the courtyard. He began teaching her a little basic Italian, but otherwise their time alone together was spent in a voyage of discovery.

"To make up for all the years before you came into my life," declared Lorenzo.

And at night, when Lorenzo escorted her upstairs toher room, long after Emily had retired to hers, he kissed Jess at length before they parted, but after the first day had never set foot in her room. Knowing he was in the bedroom next to hers, Jess had expected to spend restless, sleepless nights. Instead she slept soundly and woke early, eager to join Lorenzo for the breakfast Caria served them in the courtyard before the sun grew too fierce. Emily breakfasted in bed, happy to give Jess time alone with Lorenzo.

Late in the afternoon Jess was reading alone in the courtyard while Emily had a rest, and Lorenzo was in his study dealing with hotel business over the phone. Jess looked up from her book at the sound of an approaching car, the sound growing louder in the stillness, indicating that the driver was heading for the Villa Fortuna, since the narrow track led only to the house.

When a car appeared through the cypresses Jess hesitated, wondering whether to go and find Lorenzo, or stand her ground and greet the visitor herself. In which case, she thought wryly, it was to be hoped that the visitor spoke English. The few words of Italian she'd learned so far were better suited to the bedroom than to welcoming guests.

A slim, bespectacled young man got out of the car, then reached inside it for a medical bag. Dr Tosti had obviously come to check on the patient.

"How do you do?" said Jess with a smile, holding out her hand. "I'm Jessamy Dysart."