‘It was the family business. At the time, there were a couple of elderly cousins of my father’s who had shares in it. They’d have been left penniless if I’d let the business fail. And I knew Aunt Louisa had invested rather heavily in it, too. Well, not invested, but lent my father some money, which amounted to the same thing, I suppose. He was her only brother, after all.’

There was a long pause, and he added in a bitter tone, ‘There was also my mother to consider, you see. She’d have taken everything if I’d tried to close the business down. She has excellent lawyers and usually comes out of her marriages with a fistful of extra assets.’

‘Marriages?’

‘Yes. She’s on her fourth husband now, but if I read the signs right, she’s tiring of him.’

He scowled and it was a few moments before he added, ‘Anyway, she put some money into my father’s business when they were first married and her lawyers tied up her rights to repayment rather cleverly. My father hadn’t really studied the contracts – he trusted her, I suppose. As it turned out, he was never able to pay her off. I have, though.’

She was surprised. And touched by his confidences. This was a rare glimpse behind his mask. ‘Well, you certainly seem to have made a huge success of it all.’

‘Yes. If a thing’s worth doing, and all that… I’m financially independent now, thank goodness.’

He sighed as if that gave him little pleasure, then caught sight of the wall clock. ‘Oh, damn! Look, I’ve agreed that we’ll have dinner with Nick and Cynthia this evening. I suppose we’d better start getting dressed.’

The joy left her abruptly. ‘Do we have to?’

‘I’m afraid so.’

‘I must admit I find Cynthia hard going.’ Silence stretched between them. She was determined not to be the one who broke it.

‘Yes. I realise that. But I’d be grateful if you’d make the effort to be polite to her, just this once. I owe Nick a lot and he’s a very nice man, but he’s not as well as he pretends. If I can help him in this matter, I’d like to.’

She shrugged. ‘All right. We have to eat, I suppose. And we needn’t stay up late, surely?’

‘Definitely not. You’re wearing me out. I need some sleep.’