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Debra felt herself turn to jelly. There had been more than a hint of double meaning behind his words. For as long as she could she held his gaze and then turning away said quietly, ‘I suppose if I don’t go to Hong Kong I don’t get the other job either?’

‘That’s right,’ he said tightly. ‘Not that I shall be fortunate enough to find myself another designer who also speaks Chinese, but I feel there would be too much antagonism between us for a good working relationship.’

‘In that case,’ she lifted her slim shoulders, ‘there’s nothing more to be said. Goodbye, Mr Oliver,' and she held out her hand, trying bravely to hide her disappointment.

He ignored it. ‘Goodbye is so final, Miss Delaney. I have a feeling that we shall meet again.’

It was quite conceivable, working in the same industry, she thought, but somehow she did not think that this was what he meant.

It was late evening when Debra returned home. Normally she tried to be in when Liz came from school, but somehow today she felt loath to face her friend.

Very faintly, and to her own alarm, she found herself blaming Liz. It was not Liz’s fault, she knew. She could have gone to Hong Kong without her, but even so it caused a slight rift between them that had never been there before.

Consequently when she saw Liz’s bright and cheerful face she was most surprised, and wondered what could have happened to bring about this dramatic change.

‘I’ve had a visitor,’ said Liz immediately. ‘You’ll never guess who.’

Debra frowned and shrugged. ‘I’ve no idea, but I suppose you’re going to tell me.’

Liz danced round the room, her blue eyes twinkling, looking more like her normal self than Debra had seen for a long time. Whoever it was they had certainly done her good.

Liz paused, made sure she had Debra’s full attention. ‘Mr Oliver,’ she said importantly.

It took a full minute for Debra to comprehend exactly who she meant, then she said fearfully, ‘Mr Vane Oliver? What did he want?’ But she thought she knew even before her friend answered.

‘He came to see me. No wonder you were so het up about getting that job! He’s gorgeous, the dreamiest man I’ve ever seen. He made me feel so—so special.’

Debra knew only too well the effect he had, but Liz—she was too young, and at an impressionable age as well. She went quite cold at the thought of what this man had been doing.

‘You still haven’t said what he wanted.’ Debra was becoming more anxious by the second.

Liz smiled mysteriously. ‘He tried to persuade me to go to Hong Kong.’

It was what she might have suspected. It had been all too clear that he had not taken their parting as final. ‘And what did you say?’

‘I said yes,’ said Liz pertly. ‘If I’d known what he was like I would never have refused.’

Debra sincerely hoped that his methods of persuasion had been strictly above board. Liz had a starstruck look about her.

‘In that case,’ she said, ‘I’m glad he came. I’d set my heart on that job, and I was terribly disappointed ’

‘So he said,’ agreed the younger girl blithely.

‘What else did he say?’ asked Debra suspiciously, not at all sure she liked the knowledge that he had known what was going through her mind.

‘Oh, this and that.' Liz seemed to take great delight in being secretive.

‘He won’t be going with us,’ said Debra sharply, ‘if that’s what you’re thinking. His place is here in London. Hong Kong is merely a branch. I suppose he goes out there occasionally, but, so far as I'm concerned, the less I see of him the better.’

Liz appeared about to say something and then changed her mind. ‘That doesn’t matter, does it? He made me realise how pointless it was my remaining here. He said a change of environment would do me a world of good.’

‘That’s what I said,’ put in Debra sharply.

But Liz continued as though she had not heard. ‘He said that Hong Kong has changed a lot since I was there and that we’ll be able to go places, meet people. He made it sound exciting.’

I bet he did, thought Debra bitterly. Vane Oliver would make anything sound exciting if it meant he got his own way. But she hid her animosity saying cheerfully, ‘I’m glad, Liz. It’s true, I’d set my heart on the job. Thanks for saying you’ll go.’

The next morning Vane Oliver telephoned her. ‘Your tickets are ready,’ he said bluntly. ‘You’ll be travelling on Friday. Will that give you time to tie up things this end?’

Too bad if it didn’t, she thought acrimoniously. ‘We’ll manage,’ she said coolly. ‘But I don’t know what Liz’s school is going to say about her shooting off like this. She’s studying for her exams. It will ruin her education.’

His impatient sigh told her that he knew she considered him thoughtless. ‘I’ve already been in touch with her headmaster, and he’s given his okay. As soon as she’s settled I shall get her a private tutor.’

‘It would appear that money is no object to a person like you,’ she flung bitterly. ‘I’m sure I can’t be worth all this trouble.’

‘If you’re not, I’m making a ghastly mistake,’ he said surprisingly. ‘I’ll be around to pick you both up at ten on Friday morning, make sure you’re ready.’

The line went dead and Debra was left feeling that she had fought a long battle and lost.

She told Liz the news when she came home, and was surprised to discover the girl already knew. Apparently Vane Oliver had told her headmaster the whole story and he had called Liz to his study, wishing her happiness in her new life, saying how fortunate she was to have a man like Vane Oliver take a personal interest in her education and welfare.

Some of Liz’s initial euphoria had worn off, and sadness tinged her pleasure, but at least it had given her a new purpose in life, something to look forward to, and if she rather fancied the dynamic Vane Oliver—well, no harm would come from it. She would not see enough of him for him to have too great an impact.

It
came as a considerable shock to Debra to discover that Vane Oliver intended accompanying them to Hong Kong.

He had called for them as arranged and driven to Gatwick airport, where she had fully expected him to take his leave.

But when he weighed in his own luggage along with their own she turned and said accusingly, ‘Are you coming with us?’

‘But of course,’ came the prompt reply. ‘I thought you knew.’

She glanced at Liz, who smiled self-consciously.
She
knew, thought Debra. Why had she kept it to herself? Liz had said remarkably little about Vane Oliver since her first enthusiasm. This must have been why. She had been secretly hugging to herself the fact that she would see him again, afraid to say too much to Debra in case she decided not to go after all.

There was nothing she could do about it now, except keep an eye on her young friend, who was almost skipping with excitement.

It was difficult to hide feelings when one was young, thought Debra in faint envy. Liz had her whole future before her. Okay, it might have seemed like the end of the world when her parents died, but already she was beginning to emerge from her grief, soon they would be nothing more than a happy memory. There was so much to fill a young girl’s life, grief and tragedy did not play too large a part.

So long as Vane Oliver did not figure too much in it, came the warning thought. Liz would need careful watching. She did not really think that the man himself would indulge in an affair with one so young, but Liz had a disarming manner. He could find himself involved without realising it.

He sat between the two of them on the plane, dividing his attention fairly, though there were times when Liz did all the talking. She was more excited than Debra could remember seeing her for a long time, and she was not altogether sure that their impending arrival in Hong Kong was the cause.

Vane Oliver was physically exciting and to someone as young as Liz he must seem the epitome of all that she ever desired in a man. Unless, of course, she saw him as a father figure, someone to replace her own dear father. But this was highly unlikely, judging by the stars in her eyes.

A sense of foreboding stole over Debra, and in an endeavour to attract some of his attention to herself she asked him to explain a little more about his branch in Hong Kong.

He seemed eager to comply. ‘It’s not a couture house in the strict sense of the word,’ he said, ‘because I have the work done in outside workrooms, unlike London where everything is done on the premises.

‘Initially I thought this would be a good thing, but lately I’ve been having trouble. Quite often my instructions are misinterpreted. This is where you'll come in. I shall require you to visit the various factories, check that they're doing the work correctly, make sure everything is in order. With your knowledge of the language you should have no difficulties.’

It sounded interesting, but surely not so important that he could not have engaged someone else. ‘Why couldn’t you have employed a Cantonese?’ she enquired. ‘Many of them speak English, I’m sure they would have coped quite adequately.’

He shrugged. ‘Maybe, but I’m not so sure. As a matter of fact, to be honest, 1 hadn’t thought of asking anyone to do this work, I saw it as one of the hazards of the job. But when I saw your application form it occurred to me that you were just the person we needed—a very charming female troubleshooter, who will, I’m sure, have no difficulty at all in getting the workforce to eat out of your hand.’

Debra shot him a sidelong glance, aware that he was flattering her, but not sure that he was sincere. He could be shooting her a line for all she knew. He had managed to get her out to Hong Kong, now he must make certain she stayed.

Nevertheless his flattery was ego-boosting and she could not help feeling extraordinarily pleased.

They dozed off and on during the long journey, but as the plane approached Hong Kong Debra felt excitement course through her veins. It was inevitable that things had changed since she was last here, but from this height it all looked invitingly familiar.

The blue expanse of empty sea began to fill. There was Hong Kong Island, mainland Kowloon and the New Territories, the collection of smaller islands, and as they drew closer the scores of fishing junks and sampans—the immense floating towns which were as much a part of Hong Kong as the island itself.

The landing strip at Kai Tak Airport, on Kowloon side, jutted out into Victoria Harbour, built on reclaimed land, and as the plane made its dramatic sweep between the mountains and over the close-packed skyscrapers Debra closed her eyes. She always felt uneasy at this particular point, but once they touched down she could laugh at her fears.

She had been told, as a child, that the best way to arrive in Hong Kong was by ship at dusk when the early lights looked like jewels and the island itself seemed to be floating on a shimmering sea. Perhaps she might find time to take a boat trip this time and see this magical vision for herself.

Once off the plane and through Customs Vane Oliver ushered them into a taxi and soon they were speeding on their way.

Both Debra and Liz were entranced by the new tunnel that had been built beneath the harbour from Hung Horn in Kowloon to the northern shore of the island, and the journey which previously had to be made by ferry took no time at all.

Soon they were in the midst of skyscraper towers along the crowded waterfront. A smell of incense and oriental spices assailed their nostrils. They were back in the land they both loved.

Without giving them time to explore Vane Oliver headed straight for one of the towering office blocks near the harbour, where they were whisked skywards in a high-speed lift.

Vanoli occupied the whole of the top floor and they were met by a wizened Chinese with a white goatee beard.

‘This is my business manager, Mr Fu,’ said Vane Oliver. ‘Mr Fu, this is Miss Delaney, a new and promising designer in the field of accessories, and this is Miss Freeman, her young friend, who’ll be staying on the island with her.’

The elderly gentleman pronounced himself very pleased to meet them. He spoke in slow, heavily accented English, giving Debra an insight into the difficulties Mr Oliver encountered.

Next they were introduced to Mai Mai. Mai Mai was one of his chief designers, a very beautiful but haughty Cantonese woman. She spoke little or no English, but Debra had no difficulty in making herself understood with her excellent command of the language.

Mai Mai did not look too pleased at the thought of another designer coming to work with them, especially someone who appeared to be on very close terms with Vane Oliver.

I wonder? thought Debra, qualifying herself with the information that her talents lay in accessories and not actual garments.

They were given tea and shown over the several design rooms and showrooms, the airy, spacious offices. To her surprise Debra found that she had been allocated an office of her own.

‘Does the job merit it?’ she asked, wide-eyed.

‘But of course,’ replied Vane Oliver. ‘You’ll be a very important person.’ He looked down at her warmly and Debra felt colour flood her cheeks. She wished he hadn’t the power to make her feel like a jellyfish. It was those eyes that did it, half hooded, mysterious, full of hidden meaning which you could interpret whichever way you liked.

She caught Liz eyeing her speculatively and gave herself a mental shake. It was bad enough Liz fancying him without her doing the same!

‘I think we’d like to go to our flat now, Mr Oliver,’ she said primly. 'Liz looks how I feel, totally exhausted after that journey. A warm bath and bed is all we want.’

A brief flicker, nothing more, crossed his face. She could have imagined it. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, ‘I should have realised, I ought to have let you rest first. Mr Fu has my car waiting, I’ll take you.’

He drove in the direction of Victoria Peak—not the highest hill in Hong Kong, but the most famous, and where, Debra knew, the rich lived.

As they climbed, the skyscraper blocks fell away beneath them. The China Sea looked almost purple and the host of junks and sampans like toy models on a lake.