‘Oh, an assortment of aunties and uncles,’ Lily said, looking away. There was no need to say that she’d been a human reject, despaired of by foster carers. Because it hurt her to think it—even to herself.
Theo looked at her for a long moment, sensing an undercurrent of something he couldn’t explain passing between them. She was bright, obviously articulate and intelligent—yet there was something about her that reminded him of Freya. She was sad, too, he thought. Not just about being an orphan, as she’d said, but for other, deeper reasons.
The meal ended rather soberly after all that, and, foregoing dessert, they left the restaurant and walked towards St Peter’s. Late as it was, there was still plenty of activity everywhere, and Lily realised that she didn’t feel at all tired, but relaxed and happy. And she couldn’t put that down to the wine, because she hadn’t drunk any since lunchtime… It had to be Rome, she thought. With just a little credit going to the man walking along beside her. Theo had been personal, and personable, all evening, but he had not once stepped over that line of familiarity which was unacceptable. She realised that no man had ever made her feel so…protected…so appreciated. He seemed to enjoy being with her, with not a hint of wanting anything more. She breathed in deeply, silently. It was a relief to feel this secure.
Presently Theo said, ‘Perhaps it’s time I got you back to your hotel.’ He looked down at her. ‘If your brother has recovered, he’s sure to be wondering where you are by now.’
‘Oh, he won’t be worried about me,’ Lily said at once. ‘He knows I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.’ She hesitated, thinking how smug and self-sufficient that must sound. ‘It’s just that I’ve had to stand on my own feet for so long I never expect anyone to feel responsible for me in any way,’ she explained. ‘And—that’s the way I like it,’ she added.
He nodded slightly. ‘Yes—I can understand that,’ he said, thinking that he was in much the same position himself. Ever since he’d become a lone parent he’d had to almost fight off the well-intentioned efforts of various women wanting to help shoulder some of the responsibility. But he’d been determined from the outset that that would not happen. This was his problem, and he was going to solve it himself. And he’d done all right so far, he thought—even if Freya was a continual source of worry to him. But he felt sure that it would all come right one day.
‘Your brother’s hotel is very well situated,’ he remarked. ‘You said it’s off Piazza Navona? Couldn’t be better.’
‘I know,’ Lily said. ‘So I don’t have to look far for entertainment. The hotel is just far enough away from the beaten track to be surprisingly peaceful. I’ve never lost a night’s sleep there yet.’
It didn’t take long to get back, and Theo realised, rather disturbingly, that he didn’t want the evening to come to an end. He’d enjoyed himself—really enjoyed himself. Since Elspeth had gone, he’d hated eating alone in foreign countries, and he’d been glad of the chance to invite someone other than a professional colleague to have supper with him. It had been a bit of luck that he’d spotted Lily sitting alone by the fountain, and even more lucky that her brother hadn’t been well enough to accompany her. For some reason he felt…lighter—lighter in spirit than he had for fourteen months. But of course the reason for that was quite clear. He’d been on a mission—even if he hadn’t been aware of that at first. A project had presented itself, and projects were what kept him going these days. The fact was that he liked Lily—liked the woman’s company. She didn’t grate on his nerves, which was often the case now, when he was with a member of the opposite sex. And subconsciously a plan had been forming in his mind, without him knowing it. Why else had he quite shamelessly been assessing her all the evening—assessing her character, sizing her up?
Just as they approached the lighted entrance to her hotel, he stopped, forcing Lily to halt her steps. She looked up at him, smiling quickly.
‘Well, thank you, thanks a lot for that lovely meal, Theo,’ she began.
‘No—thank you—for agreeing to come with me tonight,’ he said seriously, waiting for the right words, the right moment to continue. ‘Actually, Lily, I’ve been wondering whether you’d…’ he began.
Lily presumed that he was going to suggest they meet up again while they were in Rome. But she was here to be with her brother—they only had another two days, after all. She’d have to think of a diplomatic refusal, she thought.
‘No—I’m sorry…I really must be entirely free for Sam. We have such a short time here together,’ she said, ‘and we’ve not seen each other since last year.’
He smiled down into her upturned face. ‘No—no, of course. I wouldn’t dream of intruding upon any more of your holiday,’ he said. ‘It’s not that.’
‘Oh?’ Lily said, immediately feeling foolish and frowning slightly. ‘Well…what is it, then?’
Unusually for him, Theo had difficulty finding words, but then he managed to come out with what he had to say in his normal forthright manner.
‘Would you… Would you step in and look after the boys for me—just for a few weeks?’ he asked. ‘I did notice from the address on your luggage earlier that we live in the same town… I’m between nannies at the moment, and I’m in a bit of a fix. I loathe the thought of interviewing yet more girls who seldom turn out as I’d hoped. It would just be for a short time,’ he added quickly. ‘Not a long-term commitment, but it would give me time to—well, to regroup…while you make up your mind about your future. It would be just a temporary thing, I assure you. The children will be back at school in a month or so, so you’d have plenty of time for yourself to make plans, write off for interviews, make telephone calls and stuff… And I pay well over the going rate for the job,’ he added, almost afraid to hear her reaction to his request.
Lily sank down on to the low stone wall skirting the entrance of the hotel and looked up at him, amazed at what he’d asked. ‘Do you honestly believe that I could be up to the task?’ she said. ‘I’ve told you—I don’t think I’m any good with children. If you’re looking for Mary Poppins, you’ve come to the wrong person.’
‘I’m sure you’d be better than some of the girls I’ve employed so far,’ he said flatly. He hesitated. ‘I expect it’s my own fault—I must be rubbish at the selection process,’ he said. ‘They all seem OK at interview—but it never quite works out.’ He held her gaze for a moment. ‘And—by the way—I’m not asking you to be Mary Poppins. I’m just asking you to be a stand-in until I find her.’
‘Well—how many nannies have you employed so far?’ Lily asked curiously, still utterly taken aback by the unexpectedness of his proposal. What on earth was she going to say? What on earth did she want to say?
‘Three in just over a year,’ he said. ‘I had to sack two of them because they turned out to be totally unsuitable, and the third left because she’d suddenly decided to take off and go backpacking for a year. So then I had to use the temporary services of an agency, and that wasn’t ideal at all. The poor kids never knew who was going to be there when they got home.’
Lily swallowed, not sure how to respond. She’d made up her mind that being with children all day was definitely not for her, but deep down she felt that it might not be such a bad idea to fall in with Theo’s wishes. It could be a timely stop-gap while she reviewed her future—as he’d suggested.
He broke in on her thoughts. ‘If you did agree, Lily,’ he said, ‘it would mean turning up in time to take Tom and Alex to school in the mornings—though of course they’re on holiday for the next six weeks or so—and to pick them up at three. Then giving them their tea and waiting with them until I get back at about seven. I always put them to bed,’ he added. ‘And of course you’d need to be available all day at the end of the phone to deal with any problems when they’re at school. Although I’m obviously contactable in a dire emergency, I cannot leave my post for minor things.’ He ran a