Free In the Italian's Sights by Helen Brooks

are infected with the virus of dishonesty, and power corrupts, but still the human spirit can find release if it chooses to.’
    She stared at him. Not only had the conversation suddenly become very serious, but she felt she’d been well and truly put in her place by an expert. Which maybe she should have expected.
    Sophia must have thought so too, and clearly didn’t intend to stay around for an argument to develop. She stood up, dropping her linen napkin on the table as she said, ‘I have the headache, Vittorio. I think I will go to bed. I am sorry, Cherry, but I shall see you at breakfast, si ?’
    Aware Vittorio’s sister was trying to deflect an altercation purely because she didn’t want anything to spoilher plans, Cherry forced a smile. ‘Yes, of course.’ They both knew she was going to see Sophia before that, if Santo reacted as Sophia expected and came to the house to speak to Vittorio.
    ‘You are not staying for dessert?’ There was a note of amazement in Vittorio’s voice. It was clear his sister had a sweet tooth. ‘It is your favourite.’
    ‘No. Buonanotte , Cherry.’ Sophia walked behind Vittorio’s chair, ostensibly to kiss her brother on the cheek but at the same time giving Cherry a meaningful look. ‘ Buonanotte , Vittorio.’ And with that she made a hurried escape.
    As Sophia left the room the two maids bustled in to remove the dirty dishes and serve dessert. This consisted of caramel oranges and home-made ice cream, along with a plate of cheeses including two local ones— canestrato pugliese , a hard sheeps’ milk cheese, and burrata , a creamy cheese within a cheese, surrounded by a ‘skin’ of mozzarella—both of which Cherry had tried before and liked. But suddenly she couldn’t eat another thing. It had been one thing to agree to Sophia’s pleading that she break the news to Vittorio in the safety of her bedroom, quite another with Vittorio in front of her. Her heart seemed to want to leap out of her body, and she was glad she was sitting down as her legs had turned to jelly.
    ‘Have I grown horns?’ he murmured softly.
    ‘What?’ Too late she realised she was staring at him. Hastily she tried to school her features into a more acceptable expression. Not the best start to a difficult conversation.
    ‘Just because Sophia has left the room, I am not about to leap on you and have my wicked way.’ He smiled, butit didn’t reach the slate-grey eyes. ‘You are quite safe, mia piccola .’
    Shocked, she gathered her wits. ‘I know that,’ she said tightly. ‘I was just thinking, that’s all.’
    ‘Of that I have no doubt, but I think it wise not to enquire further. I have the feeling my ego would be more bruised than it is already.’ He waved a bronzed hand at her dish of caramel oranges and ice cream. ‘Eat your dessert. Margherita will be bringing coffee shortly, and then you can run away again.’
    It was the ‘again’ that did it. Glaring at him, she stiffened. ‘You really are the most arrogant man I’ve ever met.’
    ‘I prefer that to mediocrity,’ he said mildly.
    Impossible man. Impossible situation. ‘I was thinking about you—but not in the way you mean.’ In for a penny, in for a pound. ‘I have to talk to you about something.’
    ‘ Si ? And this something turns your face to one of fear and alarm? This is not good.’ He looked at her intently. ‘You are a criminal running from the law? Is that it? Or maybe you are here to—how you say?—case the joint? Is that right?’ There was amusement in his voice. ‘Relax, Cherry. Whatever it is you wish to say, it cannot be so bad.’
    She returned his stare mutely, inwardly cursing her weakness in agreeing to Sophia’s ridiculous demand.
    He had been eating as they talked. Now he pushed his empty dish away from him, saying, ‘You are not going to eat your oranges? Not even a bite or two?’
    ‘No. No, thank you.’ At the moment they’d choke her.
    ‘Then we will have this so important