They had reached the outskirts of the town and had turned onto a country road with farmer’s fields on either side when he spoke again. ‘You’re not an easy person to be around, Miss Morgan.’

For a moment she felt a sense of deep hurt, before telling herself not to be so pathetic. She hardly knew this man and she didn’t care what he thought of her. She had spoken the truth and if he couldn’t handle it, that was his problem.

‘But an extremely interesting one, nevertheless,’ he continued before she could summon a suitable reply. ‘Tell me, are you always so forthright?’

‘I think so, yes.’

‘Then it’s not just your disapproval of me?’

She had to wet her lips before she said, ‘I don’t disapprove of you. How could I? I barely know you,’ speaking out her earlier thought.

‘No, that is true, you don’t.’

‘Look, Mr Forsythe—’

‘And never will if you persist in being so formal.’ The black eyebrows came together in a frown. ‘Edward really isn’t such a difficult name to say, is it? Now if it was Ethelbert like one poor devil I know, or perhaps Egidius, I could understand it. Egidius was a pal at university and his parents had apparently thought it clever to give him the Latin form of Giles. Needless to say he didn’t agree.’

Ruby stared at him. ‘You’re making that up, about Egidius.’ She couldn’t imagine parents calling their son Ethelbert either, come to that.

‘Not at all.’

‘Poor thing.’

‘Quite.’ A few moments passed before he said quietly, ‘I wanted to call and take you to Foreburn today, I won’t pretend otherwise. I felt our previous meeting didn’t go too well, Miss Morgan.’

Oh, dear. Perhaps he was one of the womanizers Mabel had spoken of, after all. Keeping her voice light, Ruby said, ‘And you think today is going better?’