But, no, he wouldn’t go there. . . . They were done.Tom looked at the Wonderbra, dangling pathetically over the chair where Polly had tossed it. He felt a flash of anger. There was no doubt Gemma had left it there deliberately, for Polly to find. He had not thought she would be so devious, with her placid face and mild temper. But women do not “forget” their brassieres. When Gemma crept out of his bed this morning, she’d made sure she left a calling card.

It was cunning, in a sort of animal way, and bold. But he had no admiration, only anger. He was Thomas Massot and not to be manipulated by some girl from the town. I don’t feel the loss of Polly, he insisted to himself; only that it’s over earlier than I’d planned. Such things should be my decision. I’ll finish with Gemma today.

It was a slightly risky policy, because it left him with only Flora, the Scots girl, a dark-headed mathematician and the least interesting of the three. And he had to have a woman, or more exactly, women. He had needs. One could not ignore them.

But there are always new women, Thomas told himself. It is a simple matter to procure one. A bunch of flowers, a fine restaurant, a couple of smiles, and listening to their chatter without one’s eyes glazing over. That was the whole of his technique, all he needed. For now he had Flora. She’d do for a week or so. He planned to be in London a lot, away from Oxford, anyway. There was business to see to. And the added advantage that he would not run into Polly.

Enough! He was annoyed with himself for thinking so much about one bloody girl. He was wasting so much time he might as well have gone on the stupid picnic.

To distract himself from thoughts of Polly, Thomas picked up the letters on his desk and skimmed them again. He had whittled the candidates down to three, and Messrs. Elgin and Hartford of Lincoln’s Inn made the best case for his business. He had researched them. They were a small firm, but very old and of impeccable reputation. That was the clincher. The other firms had made headlines and won big judgements, but he had to consider more than simple victory. There was the reputation of his mother, he thought carefully, and his father’s memory, and the good name of House Massot. What was to be done had to be done quietly.

Yes, assuming the interview this afternoon was satisfactory, Elgin and Hartford would be getting his retainer.