‘I have a house that is like Fort Knox, I have a man called Lewis apparently threatening me. Oh no, not me, he’s threatening my husband with hurting me - another man who hasn’t the decency or brain capacity to mention it to the person concerned! I have a housekeeper who’s in on the conspiracy, the great “Let’s not let Donna know anything” conspiracy. Even though I am being asked by my errant husband, a man who at this moment in time is hardly in a position to call the shots, if I will kindly break him out of prison. Break the law, put my life, my freedom, and my natural honesty on the line. All for him of course, not for me.

‘And you have the gall to sit in front of me and talk at me like I’m a child, and expect me to be grateful and fall in with all your plans without a by your leave. Well, you can go and take a running jump! Is that in language you understand? Only I was never much of a swearer. Unlike you, my husband and others of your ilk.’

Alan Cox sat back in his seat flabbergasted. Then, to make matters worse, he laughed at her: a deep rollicking laugh that caused other diners to turn their heads.

Donna sat, stiff-backed and straight-faced, and stared at him. It suddenly occurred to her that she didn’t like the man before her. She didn’t like his arrogance, his manner or his clothes. Didn’t like his acceptance that anyone and everyone would automatically fall in with his plans. The way his eyes swept over every woman in the room and silently graded them on a scale of one to ten. She didn’t like him at all.

She had been going to tell him to find a replacement, but now she couldn’t. Because that would make her, in his eyes, what he already thought she was. A bit of skirt, a bit of fluff. Just a woman.

His laughter stopped as abruptly as it had started and Donna saw the Alan Cox that most men saw. His face was now stony, hard-looking. The lines were no longer soft and endearing but now gave his appearance a chiselled quality. He looked for all the world like a man who had indeed kicked another man, another human being, to death and she felt the first prickles of fear.

‘You’ve got a smart mouth, lady.’

Donna smiled, forcing herself to relax. ‘It’s probably the only thing we have in common, Mr Cox. Let’s try and build on that, shall we?’

She picked up her drink and sipped it nonchalantly, aware of his eyes boring into hers.