‘I tried to break it to them gently,’ Angie said. She added, with a touch of wounded innocence, ‘I always do.’

‘So who was that man who came by last night begging you to come back soon?’

‘That was George-I think.’

Heather chuckled. ‘Honestly Angie, you’re incorrigible.’

‘No I’m not. I’m extremely corrigible-whatever that means. Anyway, I need a holiday because I’ve been working so hard. Accident and Emergency is exhausting enough, but when it’s night duty as well-’ She mopped her brow and looked plaintive.

They had shared a house in London for six years. Heather was quietly lovely and her nature was reserved and modest. The attraction of opposites had decreed that her dearest friend should be Angie, a radiant social butterfly who seemed to regard the world of men as provided for her personal entertainment.

At this moment she was contemplating the pleasures to come. ‘Sunshine, sparkling blue sea, miles of golden sand, and lots of gorgeous Sicilian young men, all liberally endowed with S.A. Or at the very least, C.H.’

Angie divided male attractiveness into two categories-S.A., sex appeal, and C.H., come hither. As far as Heather could understand her friend’s marking system, S.A. was the more immediately exciting, while C.H. was the more subtle and intriguing. Since Angie was, herself, liberally endowed with both qualities, she was in a good position to judge.

‘You make C.H. sound like the poor relation,’ Heather objected now.

‘Not really. But it takes time, and I don’t have time. S.A. is better for short stretches.’

‘Well, you behave yourself.’

‘No way,’ Angie said at once. ‘I don’t come on holiday to behave myself. I come to get a sun tan, fall in love, sample the local delights and act outrageously. Otherwise what’s the point?’

It was easy to believe that she meant every word. Angie was daintily built, barely five foot three, with blonde hair and deep blue eyes. Her nature was romantic and impulsive. She became easily infatuated and, since she looked, according to one besotted admirer, ‘Like the fairy on the Christmas tree,’ she had no trouble inspiring infatuation in return. The result had been a string of intense, short-lived relationships which had caused Heather to describe Angie as a serial flirt.