‘I’ve finished,’ she said. ‘I gave the bathroom floors a good scrub.’

Eleanor nodded.

Angie looked down towards the railings. Jago had removed his top and tucked it into the back of his jeans. He was crouched down, sanding one of the iron uprights, muscles working hard beneath his tanned skin.

‘Do you need him to stay for a bit?’

‘Until he’s finished what he’s doing, yes.’

‘I was going to get a lift home with him. Would you mind if I called a friend to pick me up?’

Eleanor waved a dismissive hand in the direction of the telephone.

Angie rang Gareth at the shop and spoke as quietly as she could. ‘Can you get here soon? I’ll wait on the lane.’

Angie was happy to be free of the house. Eleanor Davenport made her anxious. She was unpredictable and one of those women who thought an awful lot of herself.

Angie leant against the gatepost and breathed deeply. There was nothing like the Cornish air. She’d only been out of Cornwall once, when she and Rob had gone on their honeymoon. They’d taken the train from Penzance to Blackpool. It had taken nearly nine hours to get there and as soon as she stepped onto the platform she missed the air of West Penwith. They were young and in love so obviously stayed mostly in their room. They only left it to see the lights on the pier one night and make trips out for chips when hunger got the better of them. She smiled when she remembered Rob kissing her stomach whilst reaching over her to get two chips – one for her and one for him – and the rest going cold as lust overwhelmed them yet again.

‘What are they like, the Davenports?’ Gareth asked as he flicked the indicator to turn off the lane on to the main road.

‘I don’t know them really. They aren’t usually there when I clean. I’ve met her a couple of times. She’s uptight and very…’ Angie paused to choose her word, ‘polished.’

Gareth nodded, his face serious. Angie tried not to think of Rob then, of him behind the wheel, his strong hands gripping it lightly, the sun catching his eyelashes and the side of his face. He would have glanced at her and laughed at her comment. She imagined him replying. Pointing out how the two of them could have done with a polish.

In need of a polish but happy, eh, Ange?