Having diligently avoided the slightest suggestion of acting as hostess up to that point, Kate had to give in about the coffee, conscious of Lucy Beresford's eyes boring into her as she filled the cups. Jack could do what he liked with the cakes, she decided, and leaned against a suede cushion beside Anna, out of range of Lucy's eagle eye. But Lucy wasn't done with her.

'I hear you have the most extraordinary job, Kate,' she said, leaning forward in her chair. 'Anna says you work from home as a virtual a.s.sistant. What on earth does that mean?'

Kate gave a brief, succinct explanation.

'She works with five clients, and doesn't make coffee for any of them,' put in Jack, picking up the plate of cakes. 'Can I tempt you, Anna?'

'Unfortunately, yes.' She sighed and chose a morsel smothered in chocolate.

Lucy did the same, but Kate shook her head, also refusing the brandy the men accepted.

'I'm driving, Jack.'

'So are you, dear,' George told his wife, who pouted girlishly, but made no protest.

'I wouldn't mind a nice little job like Kate's,' she declared, 'but George won't let me work.'

From the look on his face, Kate took it this was news to him.

'I never minded making coffee for my boss. In my opinion you just can't beat the personal touch,' Lucy went on relentlessly. 'The man I worked for was utterly devastated when I left to get married.'

'How about you, Kate?' said Ben, taking the chair nearest to her. 'Did your boss tear his hair when you resigned?'

She grinned at him. 'She paid far too much to her hairdresser to do that.'

'I'd hate to work for a woman,' said Lucy promptly.

'Kate worked with with one, not for one,' said Anna, licking her fingers. 'She was Deputy Director of Human Resources by the time she resigned her London job.' one, not for one,' said Anna, licking her fingers. 'She was Deputy Director of Human Resources by the time she resigned her London job.'

Lucy was silenced for a split second. 'Goodness, life must be very different for you in a quiet town like this,' she said, regrouping.

Anna got up. 'If Kate will direct me, I need to find the ladies',' she announced.

'You'll have to ask Jack,' said Kate, smiling at her. 'I don't know where it is.'

'Really?' said Lucy, brightening. 'I'll come with you then, Anna.' She took Jack's arm, smiling up at him coquettishly as they left the room.

'You mustn't mind my wife, Kate,' said George kindly. 'She's got this boundless curiosity. She's probably nagging Jack to show her round the entire house right now.'

Kate gave him a friendly smile, and got up to take the coffee pot. 'I think I'll ask Molly for a refill. I do know where the kitchen is,' she told Ben as he opened the door for her.

Kate met Jack in the hall. 'I'm on my way to ask Molly for more coffee.'

'Good idea.' He grinned conspiratorially. 'How are you, Katie?'

'Bearing up,' she returned, rolling her eyes, and he laughed, smoothing a hand down her hair as she went on her way.

The kitchen was already tidy and the redoubtable Molly had a thermos of fresh coffee waiting to refill the silver pot.

'Mum can take it in.'

'Thank you,' said Kate gratefully. 'It was a fabulous meal, Molly,' she said as Hazel went off with the coffee. 'I hear you want to open a place of your own one day. When you do I'll be your first customer.'

'First dinner on the house then,' Molly a.s.sured her, beaming. 'You think the meal went down well tonight? I hope it wasn't too boring.'

'It was perfect. You must have seen the empty plates coming back! Mr Maitland had two helpings of everything. He said the apple pie was even better than his mother's.' Kate smiled at the sound of an imperious bark from the boot room.

'I think someone wants to say h.e.l.lo,' said Molly, and handed over a small dish of t.i.tbits. 'You can give Bran his treat, if you like-only mind that velvet.'

Kate received an enthusiastic greeting from Bran, who fussed over her in delight for a while, then wolfed down his goodies and went to stand pointedly at the outer door.

'You go back, Miss Durant. I'll let him out,' said Molly. 'The downstairs cloakroom is second on the right across the hall, by the way.'

Kate spent a few minutes there to marshal her forces, then went back to join the others.

'You've been a very long time,' commented Jack.

'I had a chat with Bran.'

'You were so long I poured the coffee,' said Lucy sweetly. 'Who's Bran?'

'My dog,' said Jack, and smiled as he took hairs from Kate's sleeve. 'You've been cuddling him.'

'Guilty as charged,' she said, and resumed her seat by Anna. 'How do you feel?' she said in an undertone, as Lucy fluttered round the men with the coffee pot.

'Fat,' said Anna ruefully. 'I shouldn't have eaten so much, but the food was so gorgeous I couldn't resist.'

'I relayed the praise to Molly.'

'Is Hazel her daughter?'

'Hazel is Molly's mother,' said Kate. 'How old is Molly, Jack? She looks like a schoolgirl.'

'Twenty-two and born old, according to her mother. There's a mature brain under that mane of blonde hair.'

Kate could practically see Lucy's brain ticking over. Blonde? Twenty-two?

'They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach,' warned Lucy sharply. 'You'd better be careful, Jack. Maybe your Molly has designs on you.'

'You bet she has,' he said, unperturbed. 'She wants my backing when she opens her own restaurant.'

For the rest of the evening Jack did his best as host to keep the conversation general, but Lucy aimed barbs at Kate so often that at last George Beresford turned a look on his wife that plainly said 'enough' and she pouted and turned all her attention on Jack. Eventually Ben decided his wife looked tired and asked Lucy if she was ready to drive them home. Jack kept Kate firmly at his side while he received thanks for his hospitality. Anna and Ben kissed her goodnight, and George did the same, winning a sharp look from his wife, who kept her kissing strictly for her host. Jack stood in the open doorway as his guests hurried to the car under umbrellas, then went back inside to Kate with a sigh of relief.

'Thank you,' he said simply, running a hand through his hair.

'What for?'

'Just for being here.' He grimaced. 'I'll make sure I have a previous engagement when Lucy Beresford invites me to dinner again. I had a meal there once, purely because she wouldn't take no when I drove George home from a meeting.'

'She insisted you came to Anna's party as well,' Kate reminded him as they went back to the living room.

'For that alone I'm grateful to her,' admitted Jack, and put more logs on the fire. 'What can I give you to drink, Kate?'

'I should be going home.'

'Let's unwind for a bit first. Lucy gave you a hard time tonight. What got into the woman?'

'She resents me.' Kate kicked off her shoes to curl up in a corner of the sofa among the new cushions. 'Before Anna's party the Beresford dinner table was the only one in town you'd graced with your presence, so Lucy feels possessive where you're concerned. I'm afraid she took one look at me when she arrived tonight and jumped to the obvious conclusion. She was jealous.'

Jack groaned. 'Dammit, Kate, the woman's married to someone I do business with, and has a couple of teenage children. Besides, I don't find her remotely attractive.'

'Maybe not, but Lucy l.u.s.ts after you, Jack.'

'G.o.d!' He rubbed a hand over his chin, his eyes eloquent with distaste. 'Next time George needs a lift home I'll get him a taxi.'

'In the meantime I'll take you up on that offer of a drink. I'd like some tea.'

'You sit by the fire and I'll make it,' he said promptly.

'No, I'll come with you. I need a chat with Bran.'

'A fine thing,' said Jack as they crossed the hall, 'when a man is jealous of his own dog.'

Kate chuckled. 'He's a very handsome chap.'

Bran was wildly delighted to see them and after an interval of greeting and patting Kate perched on the table, swinging her feet, and Bran sat as near as he could get, gazing up at her in adoration.

'Just a teabag in a mug will do,' she told Jack as he filled the kettle. 'Make it strong. I need it.'

'I need something stronger than tea,' he said with feeling. 'I enjoyed my first shot at home entertaining, but next time I'll ask a different pair to make up the six.'

'You like Anna and Ben, then?'

'I do, very much. Though I get the feeling that Anna would cut my liver out with a blunt spoon if I hurt you in any way. I a.s.sume she knows our past history?'

'Afraid so.'

'Including Dawn?'

'Yes, but she won't broadcast it.'

'She doesn't have to. The story of my marriage and divorce is well known.'

'Do you mind?'

'I was young enough to mind quite at lot at first, but I got over it.' Jack turned to look at her. 'Getting over you, Kate, was a d.a.m.n sight harder. And my way of coping was a hard work no play lifestyle that did wonders for the company but nothing for me socially. At least,' he added candidly, 'not until we opened the London office. But that's all in the past. From now on I'll do more entertaining at home.' He touched a hand to her cheek as he handed her the tea. 'It felt so right to see you at the other end of my table, Katie.'

She sipped carefully, trying to bypa.s.s the lump in her throat.

'Did it feel right to you?' he asked quietly.

Kate looked up into his intent eyes. 'Yes, Jack it did. But you can't expect me to play hostess every time you entertain.'

'Why not?'

'I'm not getting into that kind of arrangement with you.'

'You're afraid of what people might think?'

'I'm more concerned with what you might think, Jack.' Kate put down her half empty mug and slid off the table. 'Time I went home.'

Jack caught her by the elbow, his touch burning through the velvet. 'Stay.'

'No,' she said flatly.

'I meant long enough to drink your tea,' he said impatiently. 'Come and sit by the fire for a few minutes. Bran can come as chaperon if you like.'

'Jack, I want to go home,' she said with such vehemence that he released her and went from the room. She pushed a hand through her hair, blinking hard, and crossed the room to tear a sheet from a roll of paper kitchen towel.

'Katie!' said Jack behind her.

She buried her face in the paper towel, but he took her by the shoulders and turned her round until her face was against his shirt. Jack smoothed a hand over her hair and held her until the tears stopped He left her for a moment, then put his arms round her again.

At last she drew away and scrubbed the sodden paper over her face. 'Sorry,' she said thickly.

'So am I. I can't handle it when you cry.' Jack smoothed a strand of damp hair from her forehead. 'I've brought your things if you really must go now.'

'Right.' She sniffed inelegantly. 'Where's Bran?'

'He couldn't handle it either. I put him in the boot room.'

Kate looked up at Jack in remorse. 'Poor Bran.'

'Not poor Jack?'

'That, too-sorry about your shirt,' she added hoa.r.s.ely, eyeing the mascara streaks and sodden patches on his chest.

'The shirt will wash.' Jack took her hand. 'Stay until you feel better, Kate. I'll make more tea, and we'll take Bran in by the fire until you're in good enough shape to drive home.'

'All right,' she said listlessly. 'But I'll just wash my face first.'

A few minutes later, curled up in a corner of the sofa with Bran at her feet and a fresh mug of tea steaming at her elbow, Kate felt a little better. Jack settled beside her to finish his brandy, long legs stretched out in front of him.

'I can guess why you cried,' he said quietly.

She gave him a narrowed, sidelong glance. 'Can you?'

'I could have cried myself. This was how it should have been all along, the two of us as a couple, entertaining friends to dinner. And it's how it would have been if I hadn't made such a h.e.l.lish mess of things.' He turned to her in sudden urgency. 'But it could be like that in future. I want you back, Kate. I've tried to be patient, not rush things, but we've wasted so much of our lives already.'