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consider.’
    ‘Fine, but I didn’t want you to think I wasn’t willing to work for my cottage.’
    Jay moved his left hand slowly over the table until his fingers were resting on the top of Davina’s hand. ‘Don’t worry, Davina, there are plenty of things that you’ll be able to do for me. Believe me, you’ll earn your cottage.’
    She felt herself start to tremble and snatched her hand away. ‘Fine, I’ve always liked to be independent.’
    Jay rose to his feet. ‘I assume you’re used to dropping in at the main house whenever you feel like it. Now that I’m here perhaps you’d be good enough to ring through before you leave the cottage. Sometimes I might be busy, or it may simply be inconvenient to have you call.’ He looked across the garden and Davina saw Pattie walking towards them. ‘I’m sure you get my drift,’ he added.
    Davina’s face felt hot. ‘I certainly do.’ Suddenly she couldn’t wait to be gone, to get away from this difficult, detached stranger who was having the most peculiar effect on her.
    ‘Hi,’ said Pattie, greeting Davina with a wide smile that showed off her perfect set of even white teeth togreat advantage. ‘I’ve been looking round the grounds here, you’ve got a cute little summerhouse.’
    ‘It’s a gazebo,’ said Davina.
    Pattie looked surprised. ‘What’s the difference?’
    ‘Look it up in a dictionary,’ said Jay. ‘I’m always telling you that’s the best way to improve your mind.’
    Pattie laughed. ‘It isn’t my mind that interests him,’ she told Davina, and wrapped herself around her lover, kissing him passionately. Jay didn’t move. He neither encouraged her nor attempted to push her off, instead he stood there passively, but his eyes were watching Davina. Suddenly, without knowing why, she couldn’t bear to watch any more and turning away she hurried back to the solitude of her cottage, which for some reason didn’t seem quite as welcoming as usual.
    ‘Where did you get that?’ asked Phil as Davina stood in front of the bedroom mirror adjusting her oyster-coloured satin two-piece. ‘I’ve never seen it before.’
    ‘I bought it in Oxford this week,’ she explained.
    ‘It looks expensive.’
    ‘It didn’t cost you anything.’
    He frowned. ‘That’s not what I meant. What’s sospecial about tonight that you felt you had to go out and buy yourself a fancy outfit?’
    The truth was Davina didn’t know why she’d done it. Phil was quite right; the outfit had been outrageously expensive, but with its long elegant skirt and beautifully cut tunic that reached just below her hips and was embroidered with large swirls, it made her look and feel both elegant and sexy. She’d needed it in order to feel confident enough to face Jay and his friends, particularly after learning that his boss was to be there. All that she knew about American lawyers had been gleaned from watching videos and TV movies, but she was very aware that they were rich. She wanted to show that she wasn’t some poor relation living off charity.
    ‘You haven’t answered me,’ persisted Phil.
    ‘It was an impulse buy.’
    ‘I’m not looking forward to the evening at all.’ Phil’s expression was truculent. ‘It’s not as though I know any of these people.’
    ‘Neither do I,’ said Davina. ‘At least, only Pattie.’
    ‘Then why are we going?’
    ‘Because Jay thought that his boss would like to meetsome English people,’ she explained, consoling herself with the thought that this wasn’t entirely a lie even though Jay hadn’t mentioned Phil by name.
    ‘I can’t stand the man,’ continued Phil moodily. ‘He’s the sort of American that gives the country a bad name.’
    ‘I didn’t know it had a bad name,’ laughed Davina. ‘Besides, you only dislike him because he inherited the house. He’s probably a very nice person underneath.’
    ‘Underneath what?’
    ‘Underneath that veneer of being a not very nice person! Come on, Phil. Don’t