‘Poor old thing,’ said Thea, glancing up from her cooking. ‘Do you think it’s near her time?’

‘The trouble is we don’t have any real idea about when her time is. I was away and Lara was staying with Susan. I told Susan that Lara was “looking away”, as we say in Ireland, but Lara still managed to get out.’

‘Well, I got her a nice bone from the butcher’s. You could give it to her.’

‘Well, missus, is tonight the night we make passionate love under my goose down duvet?’

The steak was eaten, the bits of fat fed to Lara and the plates were pushed back. Rory was peeling apples and handing pieces to Thea, which she ate with the very good Irish blue cheese she had bought in town. This question came with the last section of apple.

Like Eve, she took the apple and, like Eve, she was tempted. Almost everything was perfect. She liked Rory, she adored his work and she found him extremely sexy. Perhaps it was the thought of making love with a complete stranger when she had had slightly too much to eat that was making her hesitate. If she really, really fancied him, she realised, the idea of ripping off her clothes in front of someone she didn’t know very well wouldn’t cost her a thought. Now, the idea of her nakedness next to his athletic body made her pull her tummy in and worry about the bits of flesh not seen on models. Regretfully she put her hand on Rory’s wrist. ‘Would you think I was an awful tease and a spoilsport if I said that it’s still too soon?’

Rory smacked his forehead with his hand. ‘Damn! I knew I should have cooked for you. Women love that.’

Thea laughed. ‘They do, but I don’t think in this case it would have made any difference. I just don’t feel I know you well enough. I’m a bit of an old-fashioned girl, I suppose.’

Rory tipped the last of the bottle of wine into Thea’s glass. ‘Is that your final answer?’

Smiling gently, she nodded.

‘Well, it’s a blow. But I expect I can accept it in a manly way.’ In spite of his gentlemanly words, Rory was looking at her with a glitter in his eye, which slightly belied them. Thea started to gather the plates. ‘Perhaps I just need to get you a little bit drunker.’

‘Certainly not! We’ve had a whole bottle between us, not to mention a couple of whiskeys first. If I don’t drink at least a pint of water I’m going to feel dreadful in the morning.’ She took the dirty things into the kitchen.

‘You know what alcoholics say about people who don’t have hangovers,’ said Rory. ‘“You mean you wake up, and you don’t feel better, all day?”’