‘No,’ I said, struggling to kneel up so I could stare straight back at him, even though it made me quake to do it. ‘We are not and if you don’t let me go, I will scream blue murder. Let me go, Jonathan.’

He ground his jaw for a second and then dropped my wrist. There were deeply pinched red marks where his fingers had been and it throbbed terribly. I rubbed it and looked at him. His breathing was shallow, the rise and fall of his chest rapid. He really was a man on the edge, but quite how he’d got there, I wasn’t sure.

‘I want you to take me back to Wynbridge,’ I told him, my voice catching in my throat.

‘No.’

‘Yes, Jonathan,’ I said, slipping off the bed so he couldn’t reach me so easily. ‘I’m going to pack and we’re checking out. I’m going to tell Dolly we’re on our way and you are going to drive me back to the cottage.’

I reached for my bag, but he snatched it up first.

‘Give it back.’

‘No,’ he said, shaking his head, his expression more shocked than angry. ‘We need to sort this.’

‘There’s nothing to sort. I ruined your big surprise and you’re pissed off with me. I get it.’

Now I could see his temper had given over to the horror of what he had done, I felt stronger, more able to face up to him again.

‘Give it a couple of hours and I’ll have the bruises to prove it,’ I added, holding up my arm so he was forced to acknowledge the evidence of his aggression. ‘I’m going to call a taxi.’

He dropped to the bed, handed me back my bag and put his head in his hands.

‘No,’ he said huskily. ‘Don’t do that. There’s no need. I’ll drive you back.’

I noted that he didn’t say he was sorry.

*

I knew it was a mistake getting in the car with him the second he re-joined the main road.

‘Can you slow down, Jonathan, please?’ I pleaded as he accelerated around the car in front, narrowly avoiding a motorbike in the oncoming lane.

‘Why?’ He shrugged. ‘I thought you were keen to get back.’

I was keen, but I wanted to arrive in one piece. In the end I hadn’t let Dolly know we were on our way because I didn’t want her worrying in case Jonathan did something stupid and we didn’t turn up. I didn’t want her to have an inkling that there was anything wrong and I was going to make sure she didn’t see the marks on my arm.