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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

‘MY STAFF won’t need your help with a kitchen-supper,’ Ethan pointed out

‘I’d like to do a little more than that for the squad’ And when Ethan threw her a hard stare she added, ‘Don’t look so suspicious, Ethan I’ to turn it into a bacchanalian romp’

‘I should hope not’ He held the door into the hallway for her

‘Just soood food and hospitality’

‘A kitchen-supper,’ Ethan confirmed, which wasn’t what Savannah had in -rooht out of wraps, just for starters

‘Either way,’ she said, curbing her enthusiasm as more ideas came to her, ‘we should consult with your staff first, as this is very short notice for them’

‘At the start of this discussion, tonight wasn’t going to be an event my staff would need notice for,’ he pointed out

True, but she had learned when to speak and when to say nothing—and as it people said about actions speaking louder than words?

She wasn’t going to build any bridges withup her sleeves to help Ethan’s staff prepare the neglected dining-room Beneath the dust sheets the furniture was still beautiful, and the upholstery, in a variety of jewel-coloured silks, was as good as new Ethan had carved his own narrow path through the glories of the palazzo, looking neither left nor right, she guessed, until he’d reached the suite of rooms he had chosen to occupy

Later that day as Savannah straightened up to survey the finished dining-rooht The transforht was incredible But would Ethan share their pleasure, or would he be furious? Having given his tacit consent to a quiet evening in, he would hardly have expected her to expand that brief quite so radically But the old palazzo deserved an airing and the England squad certainly deserved this

Savannah thanked each -roo she couldn’t have done any of this without them She had been accepted by the people orked for Ethan, and their smiles were so warm and friendly that she felt quite at home Which was a joke, because this was not her holand and never see it again That was her deadline for convincing Ethan that this scene of warmth, comfort and welcome didn’t have to end when she left, and that it was better for everyone who lived in the Palazzo dei Tramonti Dorati than cobwebs, shadows and dust

Taking one last look

around before she left the glowing rooive Ethan an evening to remember, as well as to restore the heart of his palazzo before she returned home

Ethan’s chef excelled hi non-stop in the kitchen, and when the housekeeper had finished lighting all the candles Savannah thought she had never seen a lovelier roo and deep, , oval dining-table dressed with fine linen, sparkling crystal glasses, and Ethan’s best silver cutlery brought out of storage for the occasion, it looked quite e to say he had been detained on business and to start without hi-roo to hunker down in the kitchen, she could only guess It wouldn’t be good news for her, Savannah thought, but what mattered more was that Ethan saw the possibilities here There was a palpable air of exciteone