He didn’t seem to be expecting an answer and sat staring into space for a long time, so she didn’t interrupt him. Clearly he had his own demons to vanquish and like hers, his life seemed to be in a state of transition.

‘If you could do anything you wanted, what would it be?’ he asked suddenly.

‘I’d like to travel a little.’ She hesitated, because what she was going to say might send him running for cover. ‘Then I’d like to marry and have a family. I envy my cousin Sarah her daughter and they’re trying for another child now.’ She waited for some scornful comment, but he surprised her again.

‘I want a family, too. Unusual ambition for a man, isn’t it?’

‘If no one wanted a family, our species would die out. Is there some reason why you want one particularly?’

‘Yes. Apart from it being a natural desire, there’s a sad reason. A friend of mine died recently. He and his wife had put off starting a family for too long and he found he had cancer. The treatment meant he could no longer father a child. It made me realise I’d pushed my luck far enough. Which is why I’m selling my business and changing my life.’

He stared blindly across the gardens. ‘I want to settle in Australia. I’ve bought a piece of land there and—’

She gasped, staring at him in shock. ‘Australia? I don’t believe it!’

‘Why not? It’s a great place to live.’

She tried to laugh but it came out bitter rather than amused. ‘I know it is. I even applied to emigrate, but they turned me down. They don’t need people with secretarial training, thank you very much. If I’d been a nurse or a computer whizz, it’d have been different.’

‘Or if you’d been rich enough to buy a business. When I applied, they welcomed me with open arms on those grounds. It’s amazing what money will do for you.’

His mouth had taken on a sneering twist, which gave him that intimidating air again. She frowned, not liking his tone. ‘Don’t knock money. I wouldn’t have objected to having enough money for Australia to welcome me with open arms.’

‘Were you very disappointed?’

She nodded. It still upset her to think of it. She’d put a huge amount of effort into checking out what life was like in Australia.

‘I’m sorry.’

His voice was gentle and the warmth was back in his face. She forced a smile. ‘Oh, well. You can’t have everything you want in this life, can you?’

‘Sometimes you can. Most of it, anyway. If you’re prepared to take a few risks.’

She didn’t bother to argue. A rich man’s experience of the world was bound to be different to hers. And she had never been into risk-taking.