‘Oh, Saffron, I didn’t know you were back.’ He blinks, pushes his hair back from his eyes, and smiles at me.

‘Obviously you didn’t, otherwise you wouldn’t have behaved like that.’

‘Like what?’

‘I opened the kitchen door and saw you.’ I take a deep breath. ‘With Hayley.’

Miles’ face crumples in embarrassment. ‘I can explain. It was a platonic hug.’

‘Go on then. Explain.’

‘She’s attracted to me.’

I raise my eyes to the sky. ‘You don’t say.’ I pause. ‘Look, Miles, lots of women are attracted to you. You need to learn to deal with it. It’s already happened at college. It won’t be the last time.’

‘I found her attention difficult to cope with last night. As soon as she was alone with me at the restaurant, she came on to me. I was furious with her. Told her I would sack her. She was so upset. And then she blamed Mother.’

I try not to raise my eyebrows sarcastically. ‘Really? What did she say your mother had to do with it?’

‘Hayley said Mother told her she thought I had feelings for her and that our marriage was in difficulty. Surely Mother wouldn’t say anything like that?’

Anger starts to build in the pit of my stomach. How can he think Caprice wouldn’t do that, after the trouble she has just caused over Julie? Why is he so blind to the foibles of his mother? Why can’t he see how much she hates me? How much she wants to get rid of me?

‘Miles, when will you accept that your mother is perfectly capable of behaving like that?’

‘Please, Saffron, let’s not argue about Mother right now. I’ve got enough to handle over Hayley. I’m trying to explain what has happened, why I decided to let her stay.’

I raise my shoulders. ‘How you decided, without mentioning a word to me?’

‘I was about to,’ he protests. ‘And tonight I told Hayley I wouldn’t sack her as I’d originally threatened. So she hugged me.’

‘When were you going to tell me?’ I shout, opening the bedroom door, and stepping onto the landing. I need some space. I need to get away from him.

‘This evening,’ he shouts back, the veins in his temples pulsating as he follows me. ‘But you came home so late.’

‘I saw you together. Do you expect me to believe you?’ I slap him in the face.

He reels back, and catches his balance. ‘It’s true, so I do expect you to believe me,’ he says, rubbing his face with his hand.

‘This time, you’re the one who’s eroded the trust between us.’

70

Hayley