Their parents had urged Betsy to take the news on the chin. She had done so. She had been far too proud to show any sign of wanting to hang onto a man who had gone behind her back to sleep with her very much prettier sister. She had also cared too much for both Rory and Gemma to have made a truly ghastly situation worse than it already had been and tear her whole family apart. And unhappily for her, Betsy reflected ruefully, she had never yet learned how not to love Rory.

'Every other single girl I know is out partying seven nights a week… I can't believe that you still haven't found a bloke of your own!' Gemma commented tartly.

For a split second angry pain gripped Betsy and she pushed restive fingers through the feathery fringe of dark red hair on her pale brow. She almost blurted out that she had had a bloke of her own until Gemma had stolen him and she only bit back that crack with difficulty. The cost of restraint made hot pink flare over her cheekbones and she let her pride do her talking for her and she lied. 'There's a guy at work… I'm seeing him.'

In open disconcertion, her younger sister stared at her. 'What's his name?'

'Joe…' Betsy compressed her lips and looked down at her meal without appetite. The same instant as the untruth had left her lips she'd regretted it, for she realised that that one lie would only lead to further lies. But Joe did exist, she reminded herself, and, while she might not be actually dating him, he had at least asked her out. 'He's new… he started at Imperial two weeks ago-'

'What age is he? What does he look like?' Interested questions flooded from Gemma.

'Late twenties. Tall, broad, fair.' Betsy shrugged, thinking that if she did go out with Joe even once it would magically transform her lie into the truth.

Gemma grinned. 'Well, it's about time-'