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called The Old Rectory, and used to be owned by the church. Would you like to see over it?’
    Abigail, always interested in interiors, brightened. ‘Would anyone mind?’
    ‘Of course not.’
    They entered the house through the open doors of a conservatory to find themselves in the family sitting room. The large fireplace was obviously original, as were the cornice and ceiling rose, and the deep cream walls and turkey-red carpet were in keeping with its age. In room after room, Abigail found much to admire. The Markhams had achieved an elegant blend of old and new, even the bathrooms, with all their modern accoutrements, seeming appropriate to the style of the house. Two of its six bedrooms had been transformed into en suites and the old scullery was now an up-to-date utility room. The house had been built, Abigail reflected, when the clergy had large families, but she doubted if any man of the cloth could afford to live here now.
    They reached the kitchen, a large, cool room where a tempting array of food was laid out, as everyone was coming in from the garden to collect their lunch. Plates and cutlery were at one end of a central table, and they slowly circled it, selecting their meal from the various dishes.
    Back outside, Abigail was careful to seat herself next to Lily, who greeted her with a shy smile.
    ‘Thank you for giving up your Saturday,’ she said. ‘I bet you’d rather be doing something else!’
    The girl flushed. ‘Not really,’ she muttered.
    Her brother, across the table, wouldn’t let that pass. ‘She wanted to go riding,’ he said, and received a savage kick for his pains.
    Another jolt from the past. Though Abigail’s throat constricted, some comment seemed called for, and she made herself ask, ‘So you’re into horses?’
    Lily nodded, her embarrassment fading at the show of interest. ‘I love them,’ she said.
    Oh God, what could she say now ? ‘So did I, at your age.’
    Lily turned to her interestedly. ‘Did you have your own?’
    Abigail’s hands clenched. ‘I did, yes.’ Why was she pursuing this? Lily’s potential friendship was costing her dear .
    ‘I’m getting one for my birthday. I can hardly wait!’
    ‘We’ve stipulated she’ll have to look after it herself,’ Ben put in, ‘but we have a fair bit of land round about, so it shouldn’t be a problem.’
    Tina, feeling that since her family was fraternizing, she should do the same, cleared her throat. ‘James says you’re an interior designer. What exactly does that involve?’
    An olive branch, and, even better, a change of subject.
    ‘It’s a wide spectrum,’ Abigail replied. ‘Sometimes people send me a diagram of their room, detailing its size, aspect and any fixtures, and ask me to suggest a new colour scheme, complete with curtains and soft furnishings. Or I might be approached by a building firm to furnish a show house, or by businesses, for ideas on modernizing their foyers or board rooms.’
    ‘It sounds fascinating.’
    ‘I was pretty nervous about her seeing the flat,’ James put in, ‘but it seems to have passed muster.’
    He was relieved the conversation had moved to a subject she seemed comfortable with; he’d not missed her reaction when riding was mentioned, and it was brought home to him yet again how little he knew of her past. Was it the thought of riding itself that distressed her, or simply the reminder of her childhood? And in either case, why?
    Helped by more general conversation, Abigail relaxed and consciously set herself to charm them with amusing comments and questions about their interests, gratified that the atmosphere had noticeably thawed.
    Among other snippets, she learned that Rosemary, as well as being a pillar of the church, had been a magistrate for some years, and was thankful she wouldn’t have to appear before her; she didn’t doubt her hostess would penetrate with ease the fragile web she’d so carefully woven about her.
    As the meal came to an end, James rose to