‘Mark has my email address. You could have used it.’

‘But you might have said no.’

She threw up her hands in despair.

‘In that case, you were probably right not to take the risk,’ she said with ironic appreciation of his methods.

‘I did it for Mark. He was upset at not seeing you again. We came to the school yesterday; you’d already gone. In fact, I’m in Mark’s bad books because he wanted to go sooner and I promised to get home early from work, but I got held up and then-’

‘So it was your fault that you missed me,’ she said, amused despite herself.

‘Yes, and then the caretaker told me you’d left in a van, but didn’t know where.’

‘Otherwise you’d have come chasing after me like we were in some Grand Prix.’

‘Mark was upset. And may I remind you who it was told me that I should listen more to him?’

‘Oh, very clever!’ But what could she say? It was true. ‘So how did you know how to find me?’

‘You told Mark you had a cottage by the sea.’

‘I didn’t tell him where.’

‘Well, I just-’ reading wrath in her eyes again he became deliberately vague ‘-I just asked around.’

‘Where?’ she asked implacably.

‘I went to your flat. One of the neighbours was very helpful-’

‘You mean you had me investigated like a criminal?’

‘I had to find out where you were.’

They glared, each baffled to find the other so unreasonable. Justin wondered why she couldn’t understand that he’d done whatever was necessary to get what he wanted. That was what he always did, and it seemed simple enough to him.

To Evie it was also simple. She disliked being treated like prey to be hunted down for his convenience. But she wouldn’t say so while Mark might be within earshot. The real quarrel could wait until later.

‘Dad,’ Mark called, reappearing around the side of the building. ‘It’s a wonderful place. Is it really yours?’ This was to Evie.