He drives through the now familiar lanes, slightly thrown by the afternoon, hoping Amy will come in when they get back. They could have a drink and he’ll make some supper and perhaps, this time, she’ll stay longer than she did last time. Making love can solve so many problems.

Amy sits beside him, seething with various emotions. She is really angry with herself for arranging the meeting the way she did. It was clear almost from the get-go that Cosmo knew he’d been set up, and she feels embarrassed and at a disadvantage. He behaved perfectly, fielding Charley’s remarks with grace and charm, telling everything and nothing, and now Amy feels like a complete fool. If she was hoping that this would move the relationship forward she couldn’t have been more wrong. Knowing that he saw through her plan is humiliating but she tries to see a way out of this; to turn it into something more positive. She decides that honesty is the best policy.

‘Well, that didn’t work, did it?’ she observes cheerfully.

She sees Cosmo stiffen slightly. His hands on the wheel take a firmer grip. She loves his hands with their long elegant fingers. He slips a look sideways at her.

‘Sorry?’ he says cautiously.

‘I thought you might freak out if I told you Charley was coming, so I decided to set you up. You knew right off, didn’t you?’

She can see that she’s taken him by surprise and that he’s first shocked and then amused. He begins to laugh.

‘It did just cross my mind,’ he admits coolly. ‘I hope I passed the test.’

She sees her advantage, that he actually admires her for being upfront about it, and decides to push it further.

‘I’m tired of you fobbing me off every time I suggest you meet my dad or my friends so I decided to take it into my own hands,’ she tells him. ‘You didn’t do badly, but you’ll have to be better than that with my dad.’

Her audacity has paid off. Cosmo glances at her, his eyes alight with amusement.

‘I still think it was underhand,’ he says, determined to take advantage of his own position and not let her off completely.

‘So do I,’ she admits. ‘But you were asking for it. Admit it.’

‘OK.’ He raises one hand from the wheel as if signifying defeat. ‘But you can’t blame me. It’s always scary, meeting the rellies.’

‘Had a lot of experience, have you?’ she asks swiftly.

He groans, but he doesn’t answer, and she sits back in her seat, more relaxed now. Nevertheless, she needs to consolidate her position, hold the advantage she’s won.

‘I just might invite you to Dad’s party,’ she says, ‘but I’m still thinking about it.’

‘And I just might need some persuading,’ he answers.

She grins. ‘What have you got in mind?’