‘Not a secret alien clone of you, then.’ He drained the glass and dropped it into the sink. Left it there for Allison to deal with. God forbid he should do anything that was considered housework. In the short time they’d been married, she’d never seen him as much as rinse a cup. He hadn’t said as much, but she knew he considered the domestic sphere to be her domain. As if she was home all day with nothing else to do. It shouldn’t have surprised her. She’d noticed his Victorian attitude the very first day. It didn’t surprise, but it annoyed, grated, ground her down.

When she had suggested that she give up her job – which she was desperate to do – she’d expected him to agree and had pictured herself joining the ladies who lunch brigade. She had been stunned by his sharply worded response.

‘Give up your job? What would you do all day?’

‘I thought you’d like me to concentrate on looking after you?’

He’d pulled her into his arms and held her tight. ‘Aren’t we doing fine as we are?’

There was little to say to that. Without another word, he’d kissed her on the cheek and vanished upstairs to his home office.

He did the same now, jerking his thumb towards the ceiling. ‘I’ve an email I need to send; I’ll be down in a few minutes.’

Allison bit back the comment she wanted to make, a sarcastic one about how many minutes were in a few because she knew she wouldn’t see him again that night.

It didn’t matter. During one of those long, lonely nights while he’d worked upstairs, she’d made a decision. She wasn’t going to be like Portia.

* * *

She wasn’t in the mood to watch TV, instead curling up on the sofa with a book she’d started the previous day. A few pages later, she dropped it on the seat beside her and thought about the following day. It was going to be busy. Jo hadn’t mentioned where her meeting was being held and Allison hadn’t thought to ask. She assumed her choice was suitable for the other woman, as she didn’t demur when Allison suggested a restaurant in Covent Garden convenient to her office.

She planned to arrive early the following morning. Even an extra hour would allow her to get through all she needed to do before she left for lunch. She didn’t plan on returning. Although it wasn’t unusual for staff to leave early on a Friday, it was for her, and no doubt would cause raised eyebrows and quizzical glances.

Jo’s visit to London the following day was unfortunate timing. It was three months to the day since Allison and Peter had married.

‘We should celebrate,’ he’d said a few days before.

‘We should. I’ll book somewhere special.’