Violet drew her thoughts up with a jerk. How ridiculous she was, planning what she would do, when there was no possibility of her ever going there!

She had left Eric for good, as she had told him when she walked out of the house in London. But any woman would find it irresistible not to play with the idea of renovating and redecorating a house like Medway Park.

‘I am so glad of this for your sake,’ Violet said firmly, accentuating the ‘your’.

‘There is another thing I wanted to tell you,’ Eric said, shuffling his feet and looking a little sheepish.

There was something in the expression on his face which made Violet draw in her breath.

‘He wants to marry again,’ she thought and was surprised that the idea was, really distasteful to her. But there was no reason why Eric should not remarry, she told herself. She had told him firmly enough that, if ever he wanted his freedom, she would make no objection and would leave it to him to make all the arrangements that might set them legally free.

‘There is no point in creating a scandal until we have to,’ she said just before she left Park Lane. ‘There is no one I want to marry at the moment and, until I do, I suggest we remain as we are. People will talk, but why should we worry what they say?’

Eric had agreed with her, as he invariably did, but when she considered having a divorce it had always been because she wanted it and not he. Now it seemed that the boot was to be on the other foot.

‘What is it?’ Violet asked, and surprised herself by the hardness in her voice.

‘It’s about Alwyn,’ Eric said. ‘Alwyn – your brother?’ Violet asked.

‘Yes, Alwyn,’ Eric replied. ‘He has gone off big game shooting in Africa and says he is never coming back. It’s all the fault of that damned wife of his. You remember Vera? She was always the wrong sort of girl for him.’

‘Yes, of course I remember Vera,’ Violet answered. ‘I always thought her stupid and rather common. What has she done to upset Alwyn?’

‘She has run away with an actor,’ Eric explained. ‘A ghastly chap with long hair who spouts Shakespeare. A complete outsider, of course. Vera would not listen to reason, so Alwyn is divorcing her.’

‘I should think it is the best thing he could do, if you ask me,’ Violet remarked.

‘I thought you would say that,’ Eric answered. But unfortunately there are the children to be considered.’

‘I had forgotten them,’ Violet remarked. ‘There are three, aren’t there?’

Two,’ Eric corrected. ‘A boy of seven and a girl of five. I am taking them.’

‘You are what?’ Violet ejaculated, feeling she could not have heard aright.