Will He Ask Her to be His Bride?: The Millionaire's Convenient Bride / The Millionaire's Proposal / Texas Ranger Takes a Bride

The treat of supper in the garden was welcomed with great enthusiasm by Lowri.

‘It’s just like a picnic,’ she said happily, when her father sent her down to the kitchen, ‘only we’ve got a proper meal instead of sandwiches. I’ll help you carry things while Daddy’s in the shower, Hester.’

‘Thank you. If you’ll ring down for Sam, he can come to collect his meal before we take the salads out.’

When Sam arrived he put the supper Hester had ready for him in the refrigerator. ‘Before I eat I’ll take whatever you want out to the patio.’

With Sam and Lowri helping it was a simple matter for Hester to get a meal ready in minutes on the marble table under the vines. The only task left for Connah, when he appeared a few minutes after Sam went downstairs with his own meal, was to open the bottle of white wine keeping cool in an ice bucket in the shade.

Connah removed the cork, filled two glasses, poured lemonade for his daughter and sank down with a sigh of pleasure at the table. ‘This is just what I need. We’ll be able to eat outside all the time at Casa Girasole.’

‘Even breakfast?’ said Lowri, eyes shining.

‘Even breakfast,’ Connah agreed. ‘But I hope you bought plenty of sun cream today. There’ll be no venturing outside without it once we get there, young lady.’

‘Hester bought extra while Sam and I were waiting for our lunch,’ Lowri informed him.

‘Of course she did,’ said Connah, smiling at Hester, and helped himself to the salad. ‘So how many bathing suits did you buy, Lowri?’

‘Only three, Daddy. A plain blue one, and a really cool yellow bikini, and a sort of top with little matching shorts.’

‘You must show them to me later. How about you, Hester?’ added Connah. ‘Was sun cream your only purchase?’

‘No, indeed. I also bought a floppy white hat, two paperback novels and topped up my first aid box.’

‘So we are now prepared for all eventualities,’ he said, smiling at her. ‘Excellent salad, by the way. Just the thing for an evening like this.’

‘Thank you.’ She put some on her plate. ‘After supper I’d like to visit my mother, if that’s all right with you. I need to collect some things from my flat.’

‘Of course.’

‘Can I come?’ said Lowri eagerly, then sighed mutinously when her father shook his head.

‘Let Hester have a quiet hour with her mother.’

‘I’ll take you there when we come back,’ promised Hester. ‘Then you can tell my mother and Robert all about your Italian holiday. They went there for their honeymoon four years ago, so they’ll enjoy that.’

‘Only four years ago?’ said Lowri, diverted. ‘I thought they’d been married for ages.’ She thought about it. ‘Do older people have honeymoons when they get married, then?’

‘Certainly,’ said Connah. ‘Alice did when she married Mal Griffiths, remember.’

Lowri nodded. ‘They went to Paris on the Eurostar. Alice bought me a silver Eiffel Tower charm for my bracelet.’

Hester smiled at her. ‘Robert took my mother off to Italy for a month.’

‘If they were away that long you must have missed them an awful lot,’ said Lowri with sympathy.

‘Not really, because I was working. Though I had time off for their wedding, of course, which was a lovely, happy occasion. I was their bridesmaid.’

The blue eyes widened. ‘Really? Did you have one of those puffy dresses with a big skirt?’

‘Afraid not,’ said Hester apologetically. ‘Mine was short and quite plain, but it was silk.’

‘Have you got pictures?’

‘Of course. I’ll bring some back with me tonight.’

‘Talking of which,’ said Connah, ‘leave all this, Hester. Give Sam a buzz. He can drive you to your parents’ home.’

‘No need. It’s a lovely evening. I can walk—’

‘No, Hester,’ he said with finality. ‘Sam will give you a lift. He can fetch you again later.’

And much as she wanted to protest, Hester gave in rather than upset Lowri by arguing.

‘Though this wasn’t necessary,’ she told Sam on the short journey.

‘If this joker’s on the watch for you, it might be,’ he reminded her. ‘And, although it could be just your big blue eyes that draw him, Hester, if he’s the man in the park it’s likely he sees you as a way of getting to Lowri.’

Hester eyed him with horror. ‘To kidnap her?’

‘Or he could just be a paedophile attracted to her big blue eyes. Either way, it’s not going to happen if I can help it. So I’ll drop you at the garden gate, then come back an hour later. In the meantime, I’ll clear your supper things from the patio.’

‘Sam, you’re a star!’

‘I know.’ He gave her a sidelong grin. ‘Don’t worry. Connah pays me well.’

Hester eyed his profile thoughtfully as they reached the house, wondering what regiment he’d been in. ‘Thank you, Sam. See you in an hour, then.’

Hester found Moira and Robert sitting at the table in the garden with glasses of wine. They were delighted to see her, but surprised when Hester told them she was off to Italy with Lowri and her father for a whole month.

‘This is a bit sudden, darling,’ said her mother.

‘Connah’s idea. I could have rung you, but I thought it better to come and see you instead.’

‘Much better,’ said Robert. ‘Have a drink. We opened a very nice red for dinner.’

‘Yes, please. Will you shudder if I ask for lemonade in it?’

‘You can have whatever you want,’ said Robert, and went into the house to fetch it.

‘Are you looking forward to the trip?’ said Moira, eyeing her thoughtfully.

Hester nodded. ‘Of course. I took Lowri shopping for bathing suits today. She’s very excited.’

‘She’s a delightful little girl. Our Mr Jones has done very well with her.’

‘True, but he’s had his mother’s invaluable help until recently. She’s taking a long time to recover from heart surgery, poor lady. Which, of course, is why I’m looking after Lowri. And a trip to Tuscany’s not to be sneezed at. I’ll be able to send you postcards from some of the places you visited.’ She grinned at Robert as he came back with the lemonade. ‘Lowri was surprised to hear you and Mother had a honeymoon, by the way.’