She felt more in control of herself now, but he really did have lovely eyes. ‘So I’ll get a medal from the rest of the family?’

‘Definitely.’

Thea smiled in what she hoped was an insouciant way. Without a mirror she couldn’t check that she didn’t just look simple.

Afterwards, when they’d called on the estate agents and told them Thea was interested in renting the property, and had arranged for Thea to meet the owner’s solicitor, Ben drove her home.

‘Do you want to come in for tea or anything?’ Thea asked. ‘Or do you have to get back?’

Ben took a breath and looked firmly out of the windscreen. ‘Listen, Thea, I feel it’s only fair to tell you straight away that although I am attracted to you – I could hardly help it – I’m not into relationships. I don’t know what, if anything, Molly’s told you about my private life, but Toby’s had too many women coming into his life and passing out of it again without me having girlfriends as well. I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is.’

It took her a few moments to take in what he said, but she still couldn’t quite believe it. ‘What?’

‘I said, I’m not into relationships.’

A tide of pure anger began to force its way up from Thea’s stomach to her face. She knew she was bright scarlet and that she must try to keep her feelings under control. If she let herself betray any emotion at all, she was likely to deck him.

Molly hadn’t told her anything about his private life. In fact, it was very odd, when Molly had dragged every single man she knew out of the closet for Thea to meet, that she’d never mentioned Ben. Did she know he ‘wasn’t into relationships’? It didn’t seem a good enough reason for Molly, somehow. More likely it was because Molly didn’t want to annoy Ben by offering him women he wouldn’t want.

‘If you don’t want a cup of tea,’ she said, rigid with the effort of controlling herself, ‘you only have to say no. You don’t have to give me a whole lot of information I really have no interest in.’ The control had slipped and, now that it had, Thea went with it. ‘Why on earth do you think I give a stuff about your dating habits?’

He appeared taken aback and she plunged on. ‘But still, now I know, I can file the information away with all the other useless facts we all clutter our minds with. And if ever I have an opportunity to pass it on to any woman mad enough to want to go out with you I certainly will.’

He caught her anger but, unlike her, kept it in check. ‘I’m sorry. I’ve probably said too much –’