Maddy had never hit anybody in her life – she had never even felt remotely stirred to raise a hand in anger – but at that moment she would have liked to have wrenched Stacey’s head from her shoulders in a blood-letting that would have made Quentin Tarantino squirm.

‘Don’t bloody patronise me, you stupid child!’ She clenched her handlebars until her knuckles were translucent. ‘I’m not jealous of you, for God’s sake! Peter and I were washed up – dead and buried – long before you shimmied your bloody kiddie-hips and your non-existent chest at him! Jealous? You must be joking! On the contrary – you have my deepest sympathy. You and Peter deserve one another. And,’ she glared into the car. ‘I hope you’ll tell him so. You can also tell him not to contact me again, unless it’s about work. And as you’ve probably discovered, he’s crap in bed. Tell him that, too. Goodbye.’

It was hardly the most dignified exit, wobbling away on a second-hand bicycle, but Maddy felt proud of herself. Her anger seethed so fiercely as she pedalled into the James-Jordans’ drive, that she didn’t even see Richard walking towards her.

‘Jesus, Maddy!’ Richard leapt out of the way just in time. ‘Luke Delaney trying to destroy my future is bad enough – I don’t need you to nobble me completely by breaking my legs!

‘God, sorry.’ She dropped the bike. ‘I wasn’t concentrating. I’ve just had a shouting match with Stacey.’

‘In the street?’ Richard sounded surprised. ‘That’s not your usual style. Fran does that kind of thing, not you.’

‘I didn’t stop to think. She just annoyed me. About the golf course. She said I was opposing it because I was jealous of her and Peter.’

‘And you’re not?’

‘Of course I’m bloody not! Don’t you start –’ Just in time she saw that Richard was laughing and she grinned. ‘Don’t wind me up just because Suzy’s walking out with Luke Delaney.’

‘More lying in with, I’d heard.’

Maddy picked up her bicycle and leaned it against the stable wall. ‘Anyway, Stacey’s put me in just the right frame of mind to scream at Diana about the spinney. Is she in?’

‘I haven’t seen her. Gareth’s in the yard somewhere. We’ve been working Saratoga Sun. I’m still allowed to do that while Luke is otherwise engaged in Newmarket.’

‘Oh, Richard.’ Maddy was instantly sympathetic. ‘It’s a lousy situation. Maybe things will change. There’s still time.’

‘Not a hope.’ Richard shrugged. ‘I’m good enough to ride all Saratoga’s work. Good enough to ride him to victory as a two-year-old. Good enough to look after him like he was my baby. But when it comes to The Derby it’s Luke that will get his leg over.’