‘I suggested we elope, so we’d be married but we just wouldn’t have the big party. It turned out it was the big party she wanted really, so our relationship probably would have ended in tears anyway.’ He smiled ruefully. ‘She liked being engaged to the nephew of a major property developer; she didn’t want to be shacked up with a simple builder who was going to have to start again with nothing.’

‘There’s that song,’ said Helena. ‘“If I were a carpenter, and you were a lady …”’

‘Believe me, that song was often in my head in those early months.’

‘So, you not only lost your job and your reputation, you lost the love of your life as well.’

Jago nodded. ‘Except she wasn’t the love of my life as it turned out; she was quite selfish and a bit irritating.’ He paused. ‘She would have never put aside her claustrophobia and got covered in mud because a stranger asked her to rescue a kitten.’

‘Oh.’ Helena’s mood had been pensive but it took a little uplift now.

‘Although I suppose I can’t blame her for wanting the huge extravaganza. It’s what every little girl wants, isn’t it, from when they’re nine years old? That’s what she told me.’

Helena shrugged. ‘Is it? I don’t know.’

‘Really?’ He seemed surprised, almost disbelieving.

‘I may be on my own here, but I haven’t given my wedding any thought at all.’ Now she did think about it she realised she wanted something quite low-key, at her mother’s house. Tent in the garden, lots of cake.

‘But don’t you want to get married?’

She couldn’t read his expression. He was confused, she decided, possibly a bit disappointed, and disbelieving. ‘Well, I haven’t ruled it out. But my life has been focused on different things: my weaving, my career, earning a living.’ She paused. ‘I would like children, eventually – I can’t deprive my mum of grandchildren she’s allowed to feed – but I haven’t really thought about it.’

She sipped her rum but didn’t quite have the heart to dip another biscuit in it. She did want to get married, but there was only one man she wanted to get married to, and right now she had no idea what he wanted. And although he’d told her about his name change and the reasons for it, could she trust him? Also, while he was talking about marriage and asking her about weddings, he wasn’t asking her to marry him. And he might have told her about his past now, but he hadn’t said anything before. Had he been hoping to avoid telling her, ever?

She suddenly felt desperately tired and wanted her own bed and a novel where nothing bad happened. She yawned and then got up. ‘What time does Fred go to bed?’

‘Why do you ask?’