Sarre had never asked her to have tea with him before while he worked.

It smacked of intimacy, a cosy state of married bliss.

she put on a linen dress of pale green, did her face and her hair and skipped downstairs.

Mrs McCrea was coming out of the study as she went down the hall and

she thought the housekeeper looked put out.

She called: "T'll be down presently, Mrs McCrea," as she tapped on the door and went in.

Sarre was at his desk.

He had changed his wet clothes for slacks and a cotton sweater and he had a pen in his hand and a pile of papers before him.

Sitting opposite him was Anna, talking in a low urgent voice.

Alethea stopped short, disappointment swamping her, so that she found

it difficult to speak.

"So sorry, I didn't know you were busy.

' She smiled brightly, looking just above their heads and backed out

again, although Sarre had got to his feet and was saying something.

Let them have their tea, she told herself savagely, and raced upstairs

to the playroom where Neptune, quite himself again, was lying in his basket while Nanny mounted guard over him. She was still there when the children came home and she stayed where she was, on the floor beside the kitten while Nanny talked at length.

Sarel came over to her at last.

"Nanny says you rescued Neptune from the tree.

Thank you.

' He sounded polite but unfriendly.

She got to her feet; she wasn't wanted here either.

"That's all right, I'm glad he's OK.

Will you have your teas up here?

Your father's working in his study.

' It was Jacomina who answered her.

"Yes, we know, we went to see him.

Doctor Anna's there too.

' Back in her room Alethea sat down and wondered what she should do.

Go downstairs and have tea by herself?

Share it with the children?

They wouldn't like that.

She got up slowly and fetched her bag and went to find Mrs McCrea.

"I'm going out for a little while," she told her.

l!

want to match up some embroidery silks.

' Mrs McCrea nodded; the shops had been shut half an hour or more, but she wasn't going to say so. Alethea wandered off and after a little while stopped and had coffee at a cafe in the city and then wandered on again.

She went so far that she had to take a taxi back to be in time for dinner. She went to say goodnight to the children first and then went down to the drawing room.

Sarre was standing by the window, but he came towards her as she went in.

"You didn't come and share my tea," he observed mildly.

"No.

You had Anna to share it instead.

' His face took on the bland expression which she recognised covered

any feelings he didn't want to show.

"So I did.

There was tea enough for three, though.

' "Two's company, three's none," she reminded him flippantly.

"In that case Anna is the third.

' Alethea had missed her own tea and strong feelings were bubbling over

inside her.

She said snappily: "No, she's not.

I am.

' She added: "After all, that's what I expected.

' She watched his face change.

The blandness was still there, but his eyes glittered with what she

felt sure was rage.

"Are we quarrelling?

' he asked her in a voice so cold she could hear the ice tinkling.

"Why not?

' she asked a little shrilly.

"At least you might notice me.

' She raced to the door.

"I'm not hungry, I think I'll go to bed.

' By the time she had torn off her clothes and had another bath, she

was famished as well as frightened at what she had said.

She had been stupid shouting like that; now Sarre wouldn't be just

casually friendly, he'd begin not to like her.

She cried herself to sleep worrying about it.

He had gone when she got down to breakfast in the morning.

Only the children were still at table.

They wished her good morning and looked at her wan face with some

curiosity.

They looked doubtful too, and she couldn't think why and really, she

thought wearily, it didn't matter; they had made up their minds not to like her and they showed no signs of changing them.

She drank her coffee, saw them off to school and went into the