‘I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t be. She met someone else within six months and got married again.’

‘Yes, but you didn’t.’

He gave a brief smile. ‘That’s true. But never say never, eh?’

‘I’m sure there’s a lady so-and-so somewhere out there for you.’

‘Oh, I really hope not.’

‘You wouldn’t get married?’

‘Like I say, never say never. I’m just not interested in that aristocratic lifestyle.’

‘You are still going to be an earl one day, Jack. Unless you’re planning to renounce the title? Can you do that?’

He shrugged. ‘I try not to think about it most days.’

I pulled a face. ‘Always a good strategy – ignore it and it might go away.’

‘Still the smart-arse, I see?’

‘It seems you bring out my aptitude for it.’

‘I do my best.’

I rolled my eyes, swiped the mug from in front of him and got up to put them in the dishwasher.

‘We need to talk about rent.’

‘No, we don’t,’ I said, my back still to him.

I heard the chair scrape on the floor and when he spoke again, his words were closer. ‘Yes, we do.’

I turned to object and caught my breath as Jack was closer than I thought.

‘You’re doing work in the garden for me,’ I said, not looking at him as I squeezed out of the space.

‘That hardly makes up for what I’d be paying for rent and food.’

‘Of course it does. It would have cost me loads to have somebody come in and do what you’ve done already, especially someone of your calibre, but this way, I don’t have to have strangers in my house. That makes it even more valuable to me.’

‘I’m a stranger.’

‘No, you’re just strange. It’s two different things.’

His laughter filled the kitchen, warming it through, reverberating through my chest as it did so.

‘Do you have any more meetings today?’

‘I’m starting work at Mrs Wembley’s at two o’clock this afternoon. Probably be there until about five.’

‘Great! Diving straight in.’

‘Yes. But until then, I’m all yours.’

I raised an eyebrow. ‘Lucky me.’

He shook his head, his lips curling in a smile. ‘Thanks for the tea.’

‘You made it.’

‘I thought I probably should after I sent your first one flying this morning.’

‘In the future, perhaps we should both agree to take a little extra care with where we’re going whilst you are here.’

‘Deal. I’m going to head back outside.’

‘No, you’ve done enough, especially if you’re working this afternoon as well. I don’t want you wearing yourself out before you get to your paid job.’

‘I’m fine,’ he assured me, one hand on the door handle. ‘The exercise does me good and I love the work.’

With a quick wave, he was off, striding across the garden and into the wilderness.

I watched him go, his words tumbling around in my mind. Judging by what I’d seen this morning when he ripped off his scalding T-shirt, the one thing Jack did not need was exercise. From where I was standing, his body looked pretty damn perfect just the way it was.