It was as if in some strange way she was waiting for something. It was not that she was beautiful. The dark hair, razor-cut to the skull, gave her a rather boyish appearance and the sallow, Irish peasant face indicated strength more than any other quality, yet never before in his life had he felt such an immediate and over-riding attraction to another human being.

‘We’ve met before,’ she said.

He nodded. ‘A long time ago.’

She moved towards him and when he took her hands, she was trembling slightly. ‘What are you thinking?’

‘That I’d like to take you away now – this minute – to some quiet place where no one could touch us.’

‘Is there such a place?’

‘Only in dreams.’

She laughed shakily, pulled her hands free and took a cigarette from the box on the table. He gave her a light and she smiled.

‘I think you must have been about nine years old when I first fell in love with you.’

‘Is that a fact now?’

‘Oh, yes.’ She nodded seriously. ‘I used to hang around your mother’s shop on the off-chance that you might come out.’

‘I always thought you hated me.’

‘Not you – Bella. Everything male in the district from the kids upwards thought she was the last word. I never minded till you joined in.’

‘It would seem I’ve got quite a lot to make up for,’ he said calmly and when she turned to look up at him steadily, her eyes were sea-green, so deep a man could drown in them.

She took a deep breath, as if pulling herself back sharply to reality. ‘Bella said you wanted a word with me about Ben.’

‘That’s right. She didn’t seem very pleased about you coming to see us.’

‘Bella’s been putting off what she should do today till tomorrow, ever since I’ve been old enough to understand her,’ Jean Fleming said. ‘If it was left to her, she’d pretend Ben didn’t exist and never had. That’s no good. No good at all.’

‘I’ve done a little checking with some of his old friends,’ Nick said. ‘He’s definitely in town.’

Her head came up sharply. ‘You’ve no idea where he is now?’

‘None at all. I thought he might come here.’

‘Oh, God. I hope not.’

She walked away from him, obviously in deep distress, and Nick frowned. ‘What can he do? Kick up a fuss, be a little unpleasant, that’s all. Anything more and we run him in.’

‘That’s what Harry said.’

She reached out momentarily, almost as if she would recover the words and Nick said: ‘So you told him about the letter?’