Jay stared. It was the last thing he’d expected.
Zoe said thoughtfully, ‘After all, you’re hardly a people person, are you? I’ve watched you. Sometimes you look as if you’ve overdosed on humanity and are just desperate to get away from all of us.’
Jay went very still. ‘You do know me, don’t you?’ he said, almost inaudibly.
Zoe was pursuing her own line of thought. ‘You do what you have to. But people have to stand in line. Nobody gets more than their ration out of you.’
His head went back as if she had struck him. There was a turbulent silence.
He said at last ruefully, ‘Ouch. You know how to hit where it hurts, don’t you?’
Zoe was confused. ‘I didn’t mean—I was only saying what I felt. You asked,’ she ended with a touch of indignation.
‘I did. I did indeed. I can see I shall have to think before I ask in future.’
Zoe peered at him in the darkness. He sounded amused. But he also sounded as if it were a bit of an effort.
‘Sorry,’ she said, conscience-stricken.
Jay stuffed his hands in the pockets of his formal black trousers and looked up at the fingerprint moon.
‘Probably good for me,’ he said dispassionately. ‘I’ve suspected for some time that people walk round me a bit too carefully. Never get to be the boss, Zoe. It changes things.’
He sounded half-sad, half-angry. Not angry with her, though, she thought. She hoped. She could not bear it if her thoughtless words had really hurt him.
He drew a long breath. Then said in quite a different tone, ‘Now—to practicalities.’
At once Zoe stopped palpitating over his possible feelings and bounced right back into the present. She sat bolt upright.
‘What—now?’ she said, in stark horror.
Jay laughed aloud. ‘Get real. We have a journey to go on first.’
She liked that ‘we’. She relaxed. ‘Thank heaven,’ she said unwarily.
He stuffed his hands deeper in his pockets. ‘And the first thing we need is neutral territory,’ he said, as calmly as if he were discussing a PR campaign. ‘You’d better come with me to Venice.’
Zoe spluttered.
‘What have you got against Venice?’ he said patiently.
‘Nothing. I mean, I’ve never been. But I haven’t got a ticket. And it’s so soon.’
‘I’ll get you a ticket.’ Jay was calm. ‘And the sooner the better.’
‘Oh,’ said Zoe hollowly.
He took his hands out of his pockets and came over to her. Zoe tensed in the darkness. But he just buffed her cheek lightly.
‘Believe me.’ His voice was kind. ‘Once you’ve made up your mind to do something you don’t want to, the best thing is to get it over with.’
‘Oh,’ she said again in quite a different voice.
She felt cold suddenly. It had nothing to do with the summer night air. She huddled his jacket round her, and the scents of his skin assaulted her like a reproach.
‘This is very kind of you,’ she said with constraint.
He did not answer that. He was thinking. ‘I’ll send a car to pick you up tomorrow. About eleven. Bring a business suit for Monday, and some walking shoes so we can do the ritual sightseeing.’
Her heart fluttered madly. I don’t believe I’m doing this.
‘All right,’ she said aloud.
He touched her cheek again. ‘You’ll be back Monday night. Then you can get on with the rest of your life.’
She swallowed. Monday night! After two days in uncharted territory, who could guess where she would be going by then?
Get a grip, Zoe. Get a grip.
She stood up. ‘That will be great,’ she said distractedly, as if he had just offered her a job, or a ride to the station on a wet morning. ‘I’d better tell my mother. And clear up the mess in the kitchen. Um—your jacket.’
She struggled out of it and handed it across. He hooked a finger into the tab at the collar and swung it over his shoulder.
As they went into the house he put a brotherly arm round her. Zoe was sure it was meant to be brotherly. But it made her quiver from her breastbone to her toes. She moved away from him and speeded up.
‘Goodnight,’ she said, opening the front door with indecent haste. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’