"And Lorenzo isn't?" Leonie frowned. "Strange. Roberto-who is nobody's fool, Jess-has enormous respect for him."

"I don't want to talk about it," said Jess mulishly, then rushed off to throw up again, which was a painful process on an empty stomach. When she got back to the sitting room Leonie fixed her with a searching dark eye.

"Look, love, you're not-not in the same boat as me by any chance, are you?"

Jess flushed painfully. "No, I'm not," she said miserably, and burst into tears.

Leonie took her in her arms and let her cry for some time. At last Jess mastered herself and sat up, scrubbing at her eyes.

"For your ears only, I suppose I could have been pregnant," she admitted reluctantly. "But today I found I wasn't"

"But you wish you were!"

"Even if I was," flared Jess, "I wouldn't tell him."

"By him I assume you mean Lorenzo Forii?"

"Of course I do."

"Mystery solved, then. You're throwing up because you're heartbroken. I remember the quarrel you had with some boy after a school dance," Leonie reminded her. "You were sick for days afterwards."

"Right" Jess pulled a face. "But this is in a different class from that, unfortunately. I can't eaf can't sleep, hate my job, and if this is love you can stuff ill"

Leonie smiled sympathetically. "I know how you feel. I've been there myself. But don't punish yourself if you do want Lorenzo, Jess. Life's too short. What on earth did he do to get you in this state?"

"He lied to me, Leo."

Leonie stared in astonishment. "Is that all? Haven't you ever lied to anyone?"

"Not about something as serious as this."

Leonie sighed, then got up as the doorbell rang. "That'll be Jonah."

Jonah, to Jess's relief, had not carried out his threat about fish and chips. Instead he presented her with a sixpack of mineral water and ordered her to eat something before she wasted away. Then Leonie, aware that Jess needed to be alone, announced it was time to go.

"Jess, we're off to eat with my parents now," said Jonah as they left. "But we're going down to Friars Wood in time for dinner tomorrow night."

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," said Jess, smiling valiantly.

Leonie gave her a rather protracted hug, and smoothed the damp hair back from her sister's forehead. "Think about what I said," she instructed, and nodded towards the telephone. "Call him."

"Call who?" demanded Jonah.

"Tell you on the way home," promised Leonie, then smiled at Jess. "And tomorrow we'll bore you with tales of our stay in France."

Jess bit her lip in remorse. "Sorry! I forgot to ask how you enjoyed your honeymoon." She managed a smile. "Not that I need to. You both look wonderful."

When she was alone Jess sat staring at the telephone, wondering whether to follow her sister's advice. But it rang before she could make up her mind. To her disappointment it was Emily, saying she was flying back in the morning and would be staying with her mother until their own doctor pronounced her fit to return to work.

"How are you feeling?" asked Jess.

"Still a bit feeble, but definitely on the mend. I'm enormously grateful to Lorenzo," added Emily deliberately, "for providing me with such a marvellous place to convalesce in. And for inviting my mother here as the icing on the cake. It's been a great treat for her."

Jess fought with herself and lost "Have you seen him?" she asked gruffly.

"Of course I've seen him. He looks terrible."

"Easy to see whose side you're on," said Jess bitterly.

"Must there be sides? I just want to see you both happy again, like you were before. Anyway," Emily went on quickly, "for heaven's sake don't wallow in gloom all weekend in the flat, Jess."

"Of course I won't! I'm off home to Friars Wood in the morning."

The conversation with Emily decided Jess to ring Lorenzo next day, and at least let him know her reason for ending things between them. Her empty stomach reacted to the sense of the decision by demanding food, and Jess made herself some toast, took it to bed with a mug of tea, and once she'd consumed her little feast fell fast asleep. She surfaced so late next morning it was time to drive immediately to Stavely, if she had any hope of arriving at Friars Wood for lunch. The phone call to Lorenzo was too important to be rushed, Jess decided. She would ring him when she got home.

The hot weather had broken, and the trip along the motorway was punctuated by heavy showers which made driving difficult. By the time the car was buffeted about by crosswinds on the Severn Bridge Jess was heartily glad she was almost home. The main door of Friars Wood opened the minute her car reached the terrace, and all four Dysarts in residence came rushing out with the dog to welcome her back.

"Adam's still in Edinburgh," said Frances Dysart over lunch. "Mrs Briggs is coming in later, to clean bathrooms and help with dinner and so on. Why not have a rest in Adam's bed in the Stables this afternoon, Jess?"

"Good idea!" Jess smiled brightly, secretly glad at the, prospect as she helped herself to a modest portion of chicken salad.

"You've lost weight," accused her father, now he'd had time to look at her properly. "Didn't you eat anything in Italy?"

"Of course I did. The food was wonderful. But I've been very busy since I got back." Jess kept the smile pinned on her face. "I soon worked the extra pounds off."

"And a few more while you were at it," said Kate with sibling bluntness.

"Is Lorenzo's house nice, Jess?" asked Fenny eagerly.

"Yes," said Jess casually, breaking an awkward little silence. "It's lovely. Right out in the countryside. My friend Emily soon got better once she arrived there."

"How is Emily?" said Frances quickly, to stave off more questions from Fenny.

"Much better. She should be home by now; she was flying back with her mother this morning."

After the strain of keeping a brave face in front of her family Jess was tired, and grateful to her mother for the unexpected privacy of the Stables. Once she'd had some coffee after the meal she smiled apologetically, and said she was off to Adam's bed.

"Pathetic, I know, but it was a nasty drive down, and I'm really tired. I promise I'll be more lively by the time the others arrive."

"I'll help you carry your things," said Kate.

Adam's room in the Stables was furnished entirely to his own taste, with a vast brass bed and tawny orange walls, and to Jess it felt like a warm, welcoming haven. Kate dumped her sister's holdall on the floor and took a change of clothes out of it, but made no attempt to ask questions Jess wasn't ready to answer.

"Get your things off and pop straight into bed," said Kate. "I'll take your holdall back and hang the rest of your stuff in your own room. Mother's put milk and things in the fridge downstairs, so you can make yourself some tea when you get up. In the meantime we shall all be frightfully tactful and refrain from asking what happened to make you look so-"

"Ghastly?"

"I was going to say fragile," said Kate, looking worried.