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Davina’s chuckle made him look up from his disgusted examination of the contents of his teacup. His hooded eyes held a gleam as he said, ‘And that’s mild to what my uncle would call it.’

‘I expect your mother is a super cook so he’s been spoiled. Has he never been married?’

‘Never.’ The note of amusement had left Rex’s soft voice, Davina noticed. ‘Mother cured him of wanting to tie himself up,’ he added, noticing the question in Davina’s clear eyes. He sighed. ‘She was Dad’s one and only mistake. Met him in Sydney and it was a case for them both of marrying in haste and repenting at leisure. Mother hated the country. She stuck it until Dad was killed, then six months later she took off on what was supposed to be a month’s holiday. She never came back.’

‘You mean she deserted you?’ Davina asked in disbelieving tones.

‘Well, it wasn’t quite like leaving me in a basket on the steps of an orphanage,’ came the dry reply. ‘She couldn’t have taken me had she wanted. Dad left me in the guardianship of Uncle Lionel and his half share in the property.’

‘Cutting your mother of? with the proverbial shilling?’

Rex looked up and smiled as he glimpsed the contempt on Davina’s face. ‘Not all men are vindictive. He arranged a generous allowance as long as she remained unmarried.’

‘And you don’t call that vindictive?’

‘No, do you?’ There was genuine astonishment in Rex’s voice. ‘Spare your pity for someone who really needs it.’ There was bitterness now in the deep, soft drawl. ‘Before that month was up she had met and married a wealthy barrister and I don’t believe she ever really gave me another serious thought.’

‘Hence your acquiring a real stepsister,’ Davina said lightly. ‘But did you never see your mother again?’

‘Frequently. Uncle Lionel is a stickler. Every holiday, I was sent to stay with Mother in Sydney. And hated every moment,’ he ended. Then abruptly, ‘But I’m talking too much. Come along,’ and getting up he put a helping hand under Davina’s elbow.

They arrived back to find an ill-assorted couple sharing the farmhouse kitchen. Sitting beside the fire placidly smoking sat Mr Farr while on the far side of the table, swinging a shapely leg, sat Adele Wickham.

She was the first to speak. ‘Couldn’t you at least get a telephone put in this godforsaken place?’ she asked petulantly as Rex stepped over the threshold carrying a carton of groceries.

He smiled with real amusement. ‘Now, Adele, you didn’t come here simply to complain about the lack of amenities.’

He put down the carton and Adele got up to come and stand beside him. ‘But I wanted to speak to you, darling. And you not having a phone has meant I’ve had to drive up your atrocious lane. I’m sure my car’s damaged.’

‘And I’m certain it isn’t—unless, that is, you drove like a bat out of hell. Come on, I'll take a look at it before you go home,’ and he pushed Adele out of the house, leaving Davina and the old shepherd to try and break an embarrassed silence.

Davina was the first to speak. ‘We’re having an early supper. I bought a spit-roasted chicken and there are potatoes baking in their jackets in the oven. Would that suit?’

‘Thank you kindly, miss. Since my Martha died, I’ve missed a bit of good home cooking. But are you sure Gaffer won’t mind?’

At that moment the door opened and Davina and the old man saw Adele drive off in a cloud of dust. As if he had been present when Davina offered supper to the old man Rex said forthrightly, ‘You’ll stay for a meal, of course, then I’ll take you home. Or if you’d prefer it a pint at the Shepherd and Crook?’ he ended, one eyebrow lifted.

The old shepherd smiled and nodded. He and Rex discussed the next day’s plan of action when the ewes should all have been treated for worms, and Davina repressed a shudder of revulsion as she laid the table. Her expression of disgust was not lost on at least one of the men present. ‘You’ll have to cultivate a stronger stomach than that,’ Rex commented dryly as she passed his chair. ‘This is a mild discussion to some you may overhear about sheep rearing!’

Davina pulled a face at him, but under the bright gaze of the old shepherd bit back the retort hovering on her lips. He seemed unusually interested in her skirmishes with Rex, and the knowing light in the keen eyes beneath the snow-white brows made her feel vaguely uneasy.

Supper over, they left her to clear away and wash up. Davina had put the last plate away and was washing her hands in scented soap when she heard a car approaching. It certainly was not the Land Rover and in any case, if Rex was treating Mr Farr to a drink at the local, it was much too early for his return. Peeping through the kitchen window, she was just in time to see Jim Thomas step out of his battered station wagon.

After a perfunctory knock he walked straight in. ‘Adele’s expecting company and I’ve been made to understand I’ll be very much in the way if I stay in this evening. My calls are being taken by my colleague Petworth in Alston, so how about coming out for a drink ? ’

Pleasurably surprised by this invitation, Davina nodded acceptance. She had been piqued that Rex had not thought fit to take her along when he left with Farr—a sociable drink would have rounded off a busy day very nicely.

‘Thanks, I’d like that,' she smiled at Jim. ‘Give me five minutes to change and leave Rex a note and I'll be with you,’ and serve him right, Davina thought as she went upstairs. It will do Rex good to come back and find me out.

But when Jim brought her home, the house was in darkness and her note still propped on the table where she had left it. Jim’s voice held a note which made Davina frown as he picked up the scrap of paper and said slowly, ‘Now I wonder ...’

As he stopped, Davina snapped, ‘Wonder what?* though her quick brain had already followed his line of thinking.

‘Whether Rex was the reason A dele wanted the house to herself tonight?’ Jim replied, and he sighed. ‘She’ll never learn that playing with fire always burns in the end.’

‘Well, from what you told me the other evening, it won’t be long before she's free to please herself with whom she plays around,’ Davina said shortly as she made coffee and brought it to the table. ‘Though Rex told me he was taking Mr Farr to the Shepherd and Crook. However, if he and Adele made a date this afternoon, surely that’s their affair?’

‘So that’s where she was,' Jim said softly. ‘Her solicitor rang to say he wanted to discuss something and of course she didn’t get back until it was too late to ring him back. That didn’t improve Adele's temper. As a matter of fact I was quite glad of an excuse to get out of the house,’ he finished with brotherly candour.

‘Oh, thanks!' Davina said sarcastically, but she laughed as Jim began to look guilty. She leaned forward and patted his hand. ‘No, I know you didn't ask me out simply because Adele was difficult. I was only teasing.’

Jim turned his hand over and grasped hers. ‘What a sweet thing you are,' he said warmly, and Rex chose that moment to walk into the kitchen.

As Davina snatched her hand away he said flatly, ‘So you’re back at last,’ as he turned to fill the kettle.

‘I didn’t hear the Land Rover,' Davina stammered out the words and immediately wished them back, for Rex’s face adopted the old sardonic smile as he asked, ‘Then you didn’t notice it was in the shed on your return?’ and as she shook her head he said softly, ‘Other things to think of, I daresay.’

Jim seemed unmoved by this interchange and he simply winked as Davina turned pleading eyes in his direction. ‘I’ve that special dip you wanted in the car,’ he said to Rex. ‘When you've had your tea, I'll get it out. No need for me to tell
you
how to use it,' he added.

Rex simply grunted as he made tea, then sitting down he began to roll a cigarette. Inevitably, the two men started talking sheep, and when at last they went outside together, Davina stacked the used cups in the sink and went up to get ready for bed.

If Rex had been back before them, it was likely their conjectures about him and Adele had been way off the mark. Just the same, she had no wish for another passage of arms today. He had certainly not been pleased to come in and find her to all intents and purposes holding hands across the kitchen table with the young vet.

But he was affable to the point of absurdity the following morning until after breakfast, as he opened the outer door, the little black cat ran in before he could swoop and stop it. ‘Blast the thing!’ he burst out. ‘I can't keep taking it back home. I suppose you’ve been encouraging it?’ he accused Davina, who had dissolved into giggles at the sight of the cat so easily getting the better of such a huge man.

‘Honestly, Rex. I haven’t,' she replied at last, and tried unsuccessfully to stifle her laughter as she saw his grimly smiling expression. ‘As soon as I’ve cleared, I’ll walk down to Camshaw myself with it.’

Rex’s face softened. ‘No, don’t do that. I’d like you to make a start on the room across the hall if you will. Throw out the bed and all those musty books and give the place a good clean. Then we'll decide what to do. I can use it as an office as well as a sitting room. Once the ewes are mated I'll have to keep records.’

The problem of the errant cat was solved in a way neither Rex nor Davina had anticipated. Coming into the kitchen to start the men's meal with a bucket of dirty water in her hand, Davina discovered a small boy crouching on the fireside rug, the cat leaning on his knee.

‘Hello! She seems to know you,’ said Davina, emptying the bucket and washing the grime off her hands. ‘What’s your name?’

‘Peter, and she ought to. Lives with us, her does. Mr Farr said she’d come back up here t’other day, so when she didn’t come home last night, I came to find her.’

‘I’m sorry, but Mr Fitzpaine was going to bring her back later.’

‘He’s the gaffer here, isn’t he?’ There was an excited light in the boy’s eyes. ‘Can I go and look at his ’orse?’

‘Not without Mr Fitzpaine’s permission,’ Davina said firmly, and added, ‘Surely you ought to be at school?’

The boy eyed her with patent disapproval. ‘Sent home at twelve, we were. Teacher took sick, and Mam said I could come up for Tibby. You can ask her if you don’t believe me. Look, she gave me some sandwiches, so I needn’t go back for me dinner,’ and out of his trouser pocket, Peter produced a squashed paper bag.

‘I think you’d better eat with us,’ Davina told him, laying another place at the table. ‘Then when Mr Fitzpaine comes in you can ask him to show you his horse.’

Apparently this met with the lad’s approval, though his voice was still sullen as he asked, ‘Suppose you’ll want me to wash me hands, then?’

Davina bent and turned one of his small hands palm upwards. It was so grimy she had difficulty in holding back a chuckle as she answered poker-faced, ‘It might be an idea. There’s a scrubbing brush and soap at the sink.’

He was half way through the reluctant ablutions when Rex and the old man came in. Rex’s eyebrows lifted. ‘I see we’ve a visitor.’

‘This is Peter,’ Davina explained hastily. ‘He came for his cat. There’s no school this afternoon, so I’ve invited him to stay for lunch.’

‘And see your horse,’ the boy broke in. ‘Can I ride it?’

‘No, you may not,’ Rex told him decidedly. ‘You can come and look at him by all means and I’ll show you how I groom him.’ He paused, then asked the boy, ‘How old are you?’

‘Going on twelve. Thanks, Gaffer,’ and he literally fell on to the portion of hot meat pie Davina had at that moment placed before him. Rex seemed amused as he accepted his own plate and looked up to say softly as Davina leaned down to put his cup of tea conveniently to hand, ‘Our circle of acquaintances grows every day.’

‘Want to learn to ride,’ Peter informed Rex, his mouth full.

‘Do you?’ Rex replied. ‘Well, you have to learn how to care for horses first. You’re lucky we've been busy with the sheep, because I intend to give George his brush down as soon as I’ve had this break.’

After this promise, the boy gobbled down his food and then wriggled impatiently on his seat as he waited for Rex to finish his meal. As soon as he saw him drain his second cup of tea, the boy shot to his feet. ‘Ready, Gaffer?’ and Rex looked for once genuinely amused as he said resignedly, ‘I suppose I’ll get no peace until I am. Come on,’ and he got to his feet, laying a hand on the old man’s shoulder as he did so.

‘No need for you to come. Stay and have a smoke,* he ordered before following the boy outside.

There was silence for a space of a minute until looking up Davina saw the old shepherd had somehow divined her surprise at Rex’s tolerant acceptance of the boy. When he spoke, however, he simply said, ‘I’m right glad that boy came up for his cat. If I’m not mistaken, Gaffer will give him the run of the place if he behaves. His mam has her hands full, her being in the family way most of the time. I dunno how many bairns her’s lost since Peter was born.’

‘What about the father?’

‘Village layabout, if you ask me. You’ll find him most evenings in the Shepherd and Crook.’

‘Oh, I see,’ Davina said slowly, and was surprised when the old man put his pipe back in his mouth and said, ‘Thought you might, missie. I’d better be getting back to work,’ he added with a twinkle. ‘No good came of calling other folks layabouts when you’re sitting about doing nothing yourself.’

After supper, Davina brought her writing materials into the kitchen, for if the first two short stories were approved, she had contracted to write a series. But somehow tonight she could not concentrate on teenage love and she began to doodle on the paper. She had always been good at art and the rough sketch of a fairy sitting on a mushroom which grew under her fingers turned out with a face remarkably like Peter McKay’s.

It reminded her of the stories she had told Catrin as children when her sister had gone through a phase of being afraid of the dark. Thinking back, Davina found she could remember one almost word for word, and she began to write. It had been about an elf, eager to win a medal for helping humans to gain their heart’s desire, who had invariably made a mess of his do-gooding, leaving nothing but chaos in his wake.

As her pen flew over the paper, Davina could almost hear Catrin’s youthful giggles as she had told her the ridiculous tale. She was so absorbed she did not notice Rex watching from the other end of the table and, as she finished, she glanced up to meet a look she could not fathom in the keen eyes.