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Megan looked around her and pulled up the closest chair to the sofa It was an ancient nursing chair, with a low seat and a buttoned back, covered in the worst possible shade of htly, but very comfortable

‘That’s better’ Alessandro looked at her and wondered where to begin and howat her and watching the colour cli, too, her pointless efforts to appear in control ‘After we’d broken up? Did you miss me?’

‘What’s the point of these questions?’

‘Just answer’

‘What do you think? Yes I missed you Is that what you wanted to hear?’

Alessandro gave her one of those smiles that had always been able to make her toes curl

‘It’ll do Did you ever iain?’

‘No, of course I didn’t’ The shadows cast by the side light played lovingly on the hard angles of his face, softening the there in his old university clothes, Megan could almost believe that time had moved backwards

‘Nor did I,’ Alessandro adhly ‘Not that I didn’t wonder what you were up to I never iland, and definitely not to London’

‘I know Because I was a country bumpkin meant to stay in the country’

‘Because you alwaysIf you’d wanted a change, you could have chosen anywhere else—any green and pleasant pasture soined you’d dive right in at the deep end’

‘Blah, blah, blah, Alessandro I’ve heard it all before If you cao ahead Tell me what happened between you and Victoria, and then you’ll have to go How did you get here anyway? You didn’t drive, did you?’

‘My driver’s gone’

‘So you ot rid of your driver, so that now you’re at the ht?’

‘We’re getting off topic’

He reached out and took hold of her hand, curling his long fingers around hers It was a siers were softly stroking hers and his eyes were on her face, staring at her with unblinking intensity

‘What are you doing?’ Megan whispered This indistinct question should have been acco out once and for all her basic ground rules, which were that she wanted nothing to do with hie