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away.’
    A deathly silence greeted her outburst. Hugo was the first to break the deadlock. Very quietly he said, ‘Please believe me when I say I would be honoured to work with you all. This business of the virus, I did have a virus certainly but it was exacerbated by the fact that I was also having a complete nervous collapse brought on by overwork. This rest I’m having, the media believe it to be because of the virus, which it is but also it’s because I have run out of steam. After years of working like a maniac it is very difficult for me to do nothing , but I daren’t, not yet, go back on the professional stage because it could be the end of not only me as an actor but the end of me . Producing this play would be heaven. You’d all be helping me to resuscitate myself. The decision is yours, but I hope you say you will.’
Jimbo raised his glass and toasted Hugo. ‘Thank you for being so frank with us. Neither Harriet nor I had any idea how ill you have been. If we can help in any way then we will, and we’d all be honoured and privileged to work with you.’
    ‘Coffee. I think I’ll get the coffee. Anyone prefer tea?’ They all wanted coffee. With Caroline’s help Harriet swiftly cleared away the pudding and retreated to the kitchen to attend to the coffee making.
    Harriet banged about making the coffee saying as she worked, ‘God! that was awful. I’d no idea.’
    ‘Awfully brave of him to admit to it, don’t you think? I feel dreadful that I forced him into having to come out with it.’
    ‘You musn’t, you did right to bring us all up short. It was presumptuous of me. I can’t think what gave me the idea. I must have been mad. I’ve put the cups out on the side there. We just need the spoons, they’re in the cupboard in the dining room.’
    ‘You have to like him, don’t you?’
    Harriet grinned. ‘He’s a darling. An absolute darling, but don’t tell Jimbo I said that. I’m amazed he’s so agreeable to the whole idea.’
    ‘It must be Hugo’s charm.’
    ‘Well, he’s certainly got plenty of that, so just watch yourself.’
    ‘Me? Come on, for heaven’s sake.’
    ‘Yes, you. Carry the sugar in, will you?’
    Caroline and Peter fell into bed at midnight, having left the party well before the end in deference to Sylvia and Willie.
‘Peter, we can’t both of us be in it, can we? That would be impossible, finding a sitter every time.’
    ‘No, we can’t, not both of us. But you could.’
    ‘Do you think so?’
    ‘Oh yes. With my height I’d be quite out of place on a stage.’
    ‘Have you ever done anything on stage before?’
    ‘Never, and I don’t intend to.’
    ‘Hugo says you have such presence he can’t understand why you’re not an actor.’
    ‘Well, that’s one bit of his amateur psychoanalysis that is way off the mark.’
    ‘You think he does that too, do you?’
    ‘Oh yes. He does. Has he been practising on you?’
    She was on the brink of telling him about the incident in the restaurant but stopped herself just in time. ‘I’m nearly asleep. It’s the wine.’
    Peter reached over to kiss her goodnight. ‘God bless you.’
    ‘And you.’ Caroline was nowhere near ready for sleep but not for anything would she tell Peter what had made her leave the restaurant in such anger. Nor did she want to tell him how Hugo fascinated her. Nor that Hugo wanted her to be his leading lady in whatever play he decided upon. Nor that she was looking forward to the rehearsals with more enthusiasm than she had felt about anything for a long time. Not since … well, she wouldn’t think about cancer now. Not now. She would put that right at the back of her mind once and for all and get on with her life.
    Chapter 3
    A note had been put through the Rectory letterbox addressed to Caroline. Peter picked it up and propped it against the vase on the hall table. He didn’t recognise the writing, but then Caroline was always getting notes about one thing and another. When he heard