‘Buon giorno, Teresa,’ Alex responded.

He introduced Alex, who saw the briefest reaction flicker across the housekeeper’s face. She wondered how freely the brothers had discussed her, and what Teresa had overheard.

‘Let’s go inside,’ Rinaldo said. ‘The signorina has been out in the heat for too long. Show her to the guest room, please, Teresa.’

The walls of the house were thick enough to keep out the heat. The old-fashioned room was blessedly cool, and half an hour was enough to restore Alex to herself. She was feeling cheerful as she went downstairs to be shown into a room at the back of the house.

At the far end were tall windows that opened onto a veranda. A table stood just outside the room, laden with small snacks. Rinaldo was there. He looked up as she entered.

‘Are you feeling better?’ he asked pleasantly.

‘Yes thank you. Mind you, I never did feel actually bad, just-a little overwhelmed. It was suddenly so-’

She found that she couldn’t finish. No words were adequate.

Rinaldo nodded without speaking, and she knew that he understood everything she was trying to say.

He poured her a glass of light prosecco wine, and she sipped, glad to find it ice-cold.

Now the weather was cooling and they could sit on the veranda, while Teresa served them a sweet, crusted pie with macaroni and meat sauce, which he told her was called Pasticcio alla Fiorentina.

‘Are you wise to treat me like this?’ she teased. ‘You might make me want to stay.’

‘What about the man who called you? Isn’t he yearning for you to return?’

She gave a choke of laughter. There was something about the idea of David yearning that was irresistibly comic.

‘What is it?’ he asked, watching her.

‘David isn’t like that. Yearning isn’t his way.’

‘What is his way?’

‘Well-I don’t know-’

‘But you’re in love with him?’

‘Yes-no-it’s none of your business.’