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she was again at the London office with time to spare, only a few minutes this time, though, but at least she was there before nine. Only one more day to go and she could get back to her old routine. As she had suspected, all she’d needed was a few hours’ sleep to put her right. The tiredness of last night had left her and what with Janet’s bright personality, she felt quite enthusiastic as she was instructed further into the true nature of the job.
    By lunch time she knew she was flagging, and blamed her lack of energy on the fact that getting up at five in the morning was strictly for the birds. She forced herself to appear brighter than she felt, and was sure Janet had no idea how she was feeling when she remarked after she’d picked up something she was showing her in record time, ‘Hey, I thought all the whiz-kids were kept in London!'
    Half way towards Little Layton that night, Gerry just had to pull into a lay-by. It was no good—she had to have a five-minute break from driving. She’d felt quite dizzy a moment or two ago; she must be heading for a cold or something, she thought. While her mind argued she couldn’t have a cold, not in a cottage as small as theirs— the twins would be sure to get it, and she didn’t feel she had the energy to nurse them through it and possibly Teddy as well.
    After ten minutes she began to feel better, and knowing Teddy would be anxiously looking out for her, she pulled out of the lay-by and carried on to Little Layton. Teddy didn’t complain that she barely touched her meal, but Gerry saw her eyes go to her plate.
    ‘It’s the change in meal times, I expect,’ Gerry said placatingly. ‘My appetite will perk up once we’re back to normal.’
    ‘Only one more day! ’ Teddy exclaimed, looking forward to the last of the London trips as much as Gerry was.
    The journey the next day followed the same pattern as the two previous mornings. And with her confidence growing Gerry neared London, a feeling of relief in her heart that tomorrow morning, the twins permitting, she could stay in bed until seven. She had no idea where she was when her offside tyre suddenly went flat. All she knew was that she was heading in the right direction having turned on to a main road ten minutes ago. She had another half an hour’s driving in front of her and with a fair proportion of the working population roaring past her in their cars—gallantry that might be with them at a less pressing hour sorrowfully forgotten—it was not the most convenient time of the day to have a flat tyre.
    There was nothing for it but to attempt to change the wheel herself. And a most frustrating job she was making of it, she thought, for after taking the spare wheel from the boot and deciding which end of the jack did what, she found the nuts holding the wheel to the car were too tightly fixed for her strength to undo. Refusing to be beaten, she made attempt after attempt to free them, and it was like music in her ears when a voice close at hand said:
    ‘You look to be in a spot of bother. Do you want to leave it to an expert?’
    Looking up, Gerry saw a man of about her own age had come to see what she was up to, and gratefully she handed over the tool she was holding, refusing to look at her now filthy hands. Her eyes strayed instead to the rear of her car and she saw that knight of the road had pulled in behind her in a very smart-looking sports car, only she had been concentrating so hard she hadn’t heard him.
    ‘Have far to go?’ he asked, talking as he worked.
    ‘Not far—about fifteen miles or so.’
    ‘D’you think the old girl will make it?’ he asked, giving the A35 a pat. ‘I could drop you where you’re going if you like.’
    He could have been just being kind, he could have been trying to pick her up, but Gerry gave him a beaming smile as she refused his offer. For without wishing to conjure him up, a picture of Crawford Arrowsmith sprang into her mind—a picture of him saying she