Under a Siena Sun (Escape to Tuscany #1) - T.A. Williams Page 0,94

into the gardens and hugged her. There were tears in her eyes as she thanked Lucy.

‘Bruno told me he went to you for advice and you told him he should give me a second chance. I’m so very grateful, Lucy and when I think that I was worried you’d try to take him from me… You’re such a lovely, lovely person and I hope you’ll forgive me for thinking badly of you.’ She kissed Lucy on the cheeks and hugged her warmly once more. ‘Thank you so very much.’

That evening Lucy and David, accompanied by Boris, walked down to the Cavallo Bianco for dinner and, to her relief, there was no sign of Tommy. Although Boris appeared to recognise his sister, there was no great show of affection and in true Labrador tradition he appeared much more interested in the enticing aromas all round. David was immediately recognised by the owners and most of the other diners, but nobody bothered them, apart from a couple of people who asked him, very politely, if they could be photographed with him. Lucy had little doubt that word would soon get back to Tommy that the two of them had been sighted together and, no doubt, he would ensure the news appeared in his paper. Still, she told herself, this kind of exposure was part and parcel of dating a celebrity, like it or not.

After a very good meal, they walked back up through the olive trees to the villa. The temperature was high and the humidity in the air even higher. There were clouds in the sky obscuring the moon, but they soon got accustomed to the dark and had no trouble finding their way. Boris occasionally disappeared from sight completely, only for his eyes to then appear amid the bushes, glowing an ethereal green colour. David was holding her hand and as they reached the spot where they had seen the porcupine, he stopped and pulled her gently towards him.

‘You’re a bit quiet tonight, Lucy. Is everything okay?’

‘I’m fine.’

She heard him snort. ‘I used to be married, remember? I know what that word means. Even I know that fine doesn’t mean fine. What’s the matter? Come on, we know each other well enough by now. What’s eating you?’

She hesitated but then gave in. ‘I suppose if the truth be told, I’m scared I’ll never be able to come to terms with the whole celebrity lifestyle thing. You know – being recognised and photographed, rubbing shoulders with people with all the money in the world but the morals of a tomcat. I’ve become very fond of you in a very short space of time and I love being with you, but sometimes it’s hard.’

His arms stretched around her shoulders and he hugged her to him. ‘I’ve become very fond of you in a very short space of time as well, Lucy. Listen, what we have is too good to lose. I’ve never felt like this before about anybody, and that includes Rosy back in the day. I’ll do what it takes to make you happy. Just say the word and I’ll happily go back to being a hermit if that’s what you want.’ He lifted her chin with a finger and kissed her softly on the lips. ‘Really, don’t worry. Whatever it takes, okay?’

She kissed him back and did her best to convince herself that, with time, she would be able to settle into his life, but she knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

Over the next few weeks, she experienced some of the happiest days of her whole life as her love for him grew – yes, she had even started using that word, but only inside her head for now. The stress and fear of the Congo disappeared completely along with the nightmares, as she did her best to carry out her stated aim of living for the moment. She found herself settling down even more at the clinic, although she still remained uncertain about the ultimate direction of her future. But, for now, she really did manage to enjoy life on a day-by-day basis.

At the beginning of September her parents came over to stay with her for a week. Although she had already told them she was seeing David, they were pretty star-struck – particularly her mother, still a keen tennis player – when they met him. For his part, David was charming, communicative and generous as always. He insisted on taking them for lunch at the villa outside