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She was in shock, Sian realised at that instant Her eyes held a dazed blankness that was rather worrying

'To stay with a friend He'll probably see you at the hospital'

Annette was on her feet again 'We o!'

Cass came back before she reached the door, and stopped her 'The toast is on its way, and I rang the hospital again You couldn't see him even if you went now, because he's fast asleep'

Annette sagged again and let hi doll Sian watched Cass's gentleness and a funny little ache started inside her Considering the humiliation Annette had inflicted on hily kind to her and that must mean that he loved Annette very much There was no rational explanation why that should bother Sian; she didn't really know either of them very well, yet that ache went on inside her and all her cool self-derision couldn't stop it

The housekeeper brought the toast on a plate and looked at Annette in aout again Annette didn't notice; she was past noticing anything Sian put toast on her plate and offered her marmalade or honey

Annette shook her head, ate the buttered toast with reluctance, as if it were sawdust, but at least had drunk her tea, into which Sian had stirred a heavy dose of sugar Annette didn't appear to notice that, either

She had almost finished her toast when a new arrivalof the front door, footsteps in the hall, then there was a whirl of skirts and a very beautiful girl hurtled into the room, her arms full of newspapers

'Cass, I could kill her!' she began before she saw them all Then she stared,

her jaw dropping, her lips parted on a gasp of furious incredulity

She looked vaguely like her brother Sian saw the faht, the pared bone structure and finely dalena, yet she felt at once that this was his sister

'We'd better talk in the hall, Magda,' Cass said, confir towards his sister

'What's she doing here?' his sister de to her hairline, as she stared at Annette Sian admired the white dress she wore; it was very sidalena's expression was in direct contrast; it was co temper, and scowled at Annette, who didn't see her tea with a blank expression

'Out,' Cass said, taking his sister's aretting angrier by the second

'How can you bear to have her in the same room after what she did to you? My God, when I think about it! I didn't knohere to look I was so e up to sympathise… that's a joke! What they really wanted to do inkle all the details out of h! She humiliated us, not just you, Cass—the whole family! Have you read these papers? All the ht they could keep this out of the gutter press What do you pay them for?' She took a deep breath, but she hadn't finished 'What's she doing here, anyway? One of the papers said she'd run off to some man in London, stood you up for one of your own staff! So why is she back? You can't be fool enough to consider giving her another chance? I won't let you I…'