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the bottle and corkscrew.
    ‘Do you mean to say you’ve been unable to open a bottle of wine for the whole week?’
    ‘True, but I’m no solitary drinker. Haven’t really thought about it.’ She watched as he deftly opened the wine. He sniffed the cork and nodded his approval and poured two glasses. ‘Oh, I may have some nibbles somewhere. Hang on.’ She scrabbled in the cupboard and found some packets of savouries and handed them to him to open. ‘I’m pretty useless aren’t I?’
    ‘I wondered if you’re doing anything at the weekend? Saturday to be exact.’
    ‘No. Saturday is usually my day for a long ride. But, I won’t be doing that for a little while. Why?’
    ‘I’m going to look at some pups. Black labs. I wondered if you’d like to come along? They won’t be ready for another couple of weeks but I’ve been planning an addition to the family for some time. This seems like the right thing to do at this stage. Mrs Harper is evidently devoted to dogs so will be pleased to look after it during the day. She’s there every day, supervising the workmen so a dog won’t be lonely.’
    ‘I’d love to. Thanks for asking me. I adore Labradors too. We always had them when I was a child.’
    ‘Them?’
    ‘Yes. Two of them. Sisters. One each for me and my sister, though in reality they were both my Mother’s. We always thought two together were company for each other as well.’
    ‘That’s a thought. perhaps I should consider getting a pair.’ He emptied his glass and stood up. ‘Thanks very much for that. I’ll look forward to seeing you on Saturday. I must go and sort out the horses. Mrs H was putting them into the stables before she left.’
    ‘Your Mrs Harper sounds like a dream. Supervising workmen. Cooking meals. Devoted to dogs. Better than any wife. She must be younger than I thought.’
    ‘She’s about thirty. A widow. Tragic story. Her husband was killed in a motoring accident. She needed work so it’s all very convenient. No children and her time’s her own. And she lives quite close by.’
    ‘That’s great for both of you. Actually, I was thinking of coming into the office tomorrow. I’m bored here and there’s plenty I could do. Would you be able to pick me up in the morning?’
    ‘Certainly, if you’re sure you’re ready to return. Eight o’clock suit you?’
    ‘That’s fine,’ Sarah replied with a slight gulp. It was a bit early but she didn’t have to see to Major. ‘Thanks very much. I’ll organise a taxi home when I’ve had enough.’
    She watched him drive away. This was the start of something, she was certain.
     

 
    Chapter Four
     
    Promptly at two minutes to eight the next morning, Alex stopped outside her cottage and sounded his horn. Sarah was ready and waiting and carefully locked the door.
    ‘Good morning. Thank you for this,’ she said in the same friendly tone as she had said goodbye the previous evening.
    ‘No Problem. Glad you were ready on time. I’m afraid I can be rather impatient where work days are concerned.’
    ‘How’s Major this morning?’
    ‘He’s fine. Seems to have settled.’ He was silent as he concentrated on driving through the early traffic when they reached Truro. She kept quiet too, sensing that he didn’t want small talk. He pulled into the small car park and into a space that she noticed now carried a sign with his name on it. Surely an indication that he was certainly a presence within the firm. ‘Right,’ he said briskly. ‘I’ll see you during the day at some point. We need to discuss a number of things. Don’t feel obliged to work the full day if you get tired. Take a taxi home. You can charge it to the firm, under these special circumstances.’
    ‘Well, that’s very kind of you. Thanks. Hopefully, I shall be able to work my usual hours, even if I need a bit of extra help with some things.’
    ‘Excellent. See you later.’ He strode off into the building, not waiting for her to catch up or even to hold