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jutting brows, which gave them a brooding quality, and he had a habit, which she found irritating, of constantly looking over the shoulder of the person to whom he was speaking, as though seeking a more interesting companion.
    'Well, what do you think?' Sonia had demanded, the moment they were alone. 'Isn't he wonderful?'
    'He's certainly attractive,' Gillian had hedged.
    'I can't believe my luck, that he hasn't been snatched up long since!'
    Looking at her glowing face, Gillian had not had the heart to voice her doubts. In any case, as she'd known even then, it would have made no difference. Sonia was head over heels in love, for probably the first time in her life, and no amount of logic would have persuaded her to think again. It gave Gillian no satisfaction that her initial instinct seemed to have proved correct.
    'You could just be imagining it,' she suggested.
    'I suppose so. But even if there's no one else, he doesn't seem interested in me.' She hesitated. 'I wonder if I could ask you a favour?'
    'Of course.'
    'Could you possibly invite us to dinner, and see what you think? If he strikes you as being any different?'
    'If you feel it would help, of course I will.'
    'I'd – like a second opinion,' Sonia said diffidently.
    'Tell you what. I'll ask Alex and Roy as well – make it more of a party.'
    'You won't say anything to them, will you?' Sonia asked anxiously.
    'I wouldn't dream of it.' Gillian consulted the kitchen diary. 'We're booked up for the next few weekends; would midweek be OK?'
    'Fine – we needn't stay late.'
    'How about next Thursday, then – the first of August?'
    Sonia bent to retrieve her handbag and fumbled in it for her diary. 'I've nothing on, but I can't speak for Patrick.'
    'Well, let me know, and in the meantime I'll try Alex.'
    Sonia stood up. 'Thanks, Gilly, I'm very grateful. I feel better already.' She looked round the familiar, sun-filled kitchen with its pretty wallpaper, its pine fittings, and the view of the canal from its window.
    'I love this room,' she said. 'If it were my house. I'd spend most of my time in here! But I've kept you from your work long enough.' She bent forward and kissed Gillian's cheek. 'Bless you. I'll let you know if Patrick's free on Thursday.'
    Gillian waited at the front door till she had reversed down the drive and, with a wave, disappeared from sight. Then, with a sigh, she went back to her studio.
    The phone was ringing as Alex and the twins returned home, and she just managed to catch it before the answerphone cut in.
    'Gilly, hi ... Yes, I've just walked through the door. We've been to the parents for tea.'
    Then, as her sister continued speaking, she tensed, gazing at her reflection in the hall mirror. Even when, minutes later, she replaced the phone, she continued to stare at her own face with its intent brown eyes and its frame of chestnut hair, as though she might find in it some solution to her dilemma.
    Damn! she thought, moving at last and walking into the sitting-room. The twins had turned on the television and were sprawled on the floor watching it. Alex unlocked the patio door and went out on to the terrace, where she sat on the bench, hugging herself and gazing down the garden.
    She'd been taken by surprise, rushing to answer the phone like that. Given time, she could have come up with some excuse – easy enough, in their busy lives. Now, it was too late. If she rang back and said Roy wasn't free next Thursday, she might be caught out in the lie. Come to that, Gilly might alter the date to accommodate them.
    But God! she thought in panic, how can I spend an entire evening with Sonia and Patrick? Patrick. The name conjured him up and a wave of heat washed over her, leaving her weak. So far, they'd managed not to arouse suspicions, but in such a wide circle of friends she'd known they were playing with fire, that sooner or later –
    She felt badly about Sonia, too, having known her most of her life. The trouble was that when she