She gave a grim laugh at herself. ‘Listen to me, saying that. Follow him. That’s exactly what I did.’

‘But Helena won Demetrius in the end,’ Travis pointed out.

‘Only because someone cast a spell on him. It wasn’t true love. It doesn’t happen in real life. Oh, look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be going on like this, making you listen. You’ve been really nice to me, although I can’t think why, considering that I assaulted you.’

He’d been wondering that himself. He had a kind heart and often went out of his way to help people, but he didn’t normally linger. Strangely, her clout across his face had been a turning point. Her horror and dismay had aroused his pity, making him want to defend her. He didn’t fully understand it, but she ignited his protective instincts in a way that only one other person did. And that other person was his mother.

‘I’ll get out and stop bothering you-’ she hastened to say.

‘You’re not bothering me.’ He took her hand in both his and spoke gently. ‘Look, I’ll be honest. I have a selfish motive. I don’t like Lee. I’m not sure why. There’s just something about him that gets up my nose. It’ll be a real pleasure to annoy him. You wouldn’t be so hard-hearted as to deny me that pleasure, would you?’

It was a performance. The twinkle in his eyes revealed as much, and also the fact that he expected her to share the joke. And why not, she thought, since she gained from it?

‘How could I be hard-hearted enough to deny you anything?’ she said lightly, matching his theatrical fervour with her own.

He brushed his lips against her hand. ‘That’s good,’ he murmured, ‘because Lee’s watching. No, don’t turn your head. Just look at me. Try to seem entranced.’

She sighed, throwing back her head and giving him a glance of adoration, plus a brilliant smile.

‘Well done,’ Travis said. ‘That’ll teach him.’