An image of her was embedded in his brain and had remained there from the first moment he had set eyes on her. She was a beauty, the kind of woman he had not met before, and he had fallen for her.

This aside, he was a novice when it came to the opposite sex. He had never had a relationship, not even a platonic friendship, with a girl. Much less, as in this instance, a woman. An experienced woman, he had no doubt, and a widow. She was elegant, refined and educated.

Stop dithering, he told himself, get ahold of your feelings and hurry up. He realized he didn’t want to arrive late. Pulling himself up to his full height, he now strode on. As he walked at a quick pace, he reminded himself that Angela had issued the invitation. The fact that she was older than he didn’t matter. He was indifferent to age; it played no role in his life.

Within five minutes, he had arrived at the moor, where children played after school, as he himself had once. Glancing across the road, he saw that the pub looked busy, with several men sitting outside with their pints, chatting and smoking.

Walking a few steps forward, he was now at the small, neat house with a dark-green door and matching shutters. Angela’s house. Pushing open the gate, he walked down the garden path, lifted the brass door knocker and so announced his arrival.

A moment later, the door opened, and he was greeted by a smiling Sarah. He forced a smile, but disappointment slid through him. Blackie had believed he and Angela would be alone, but obviously not. Sarah was probably there as a chaperone, to protect Angela’s reputation. Even though she was a widow, and would have more freedom than an unmarried girl, she would still need to be respectable. This thought brought a little burst of laughter, as he stepped inside the entrance hall.

“Why are you amused?” Sarah asked, peering at him.

“I’m not,” he announced swiftly, pushing the laughter down. “I’m just … glad to see you.”

“No, you’re not,” Sarah shot back, a smile on her face. “You thought you’d be having supper alone with my sister, and you are. I just came to bring her a few things. I’ll be off soon. So, come on, she’s out in the back garden.”

Blackie was thrilled to know he would have Angela to himself, and his anticipation about a pleasant evening was high. As they walked down a corridor to the back door, he glimpsed a room through an open door, with elegant furnishings arranged with taste.

The garden took him by surprise. It was filled with flowers and flowering bushes and the last of the June roses, all surrounded by a high stone wall. Two willow trees brought shade to the lawn.