The woman smiled again. «My name is Elizabeth.» The b sounded almost like a v. «You are-?»

«Blade. Richard Blade. I'm a friend of Clarissa's.»

«Ah, another one of the men she brings around to show off.»

«You know her?»

«For several years I have known her. She helped me a lot when I first came to England.»

«Where did you come from?» The question slipped out before it occurred to him that it might be untactful. If the woman had come to England from somewhere behind the Iron Curtain, she might not wish to talk about her reasons for doing so.

«I am Czech,» said Elizabeth. «I was in England in 1968 when the Russians marched into my country, and I did not want to go back. Clarissa helped me very much, to find a job and get settled. I owe her a good deal. But I cannot think much of the way she is always showing off her men friends.»

«Like a hunter, showing off trophies?»

Elizabeth laughed. «Yes, exactly.» She looked Blade over from head to foot, the same way he had done her. Then she smiled and said, «'This time I think she has caught a good one.»

Blade couldn't help smiling, even though the flattery was rather transparent. Listening to an attractive woman say things like that to him was always pleasant, even if he suspected she was playing games. And he did suspect Elizabeth. He decided to draw her out a little more.

«Actually, I wouldn't say I've been caught, not really,» he said.

«You and Clarissa are-just good friends, I think the saying goes?»

Blade nodded. He made a mental note that Elizabeth was not a very skilled player, unless her game was something he couldn't even imagine. She was too eager, too fast with her answers. He was not going to have much chance to reveal himself-unless they wound up in bed. That was all right with him. But he was going to keep on the alert, no matter how the evening ended.

Elizabeth threw her head back and smiled warmly at Blade. The motion thrust her full breasts out even farther against the red wool of her dress. Blade didn't need to keep his eyes off those breasts and didn't try. The woman noticed where his eyes were.