Davina stared at herself in the mirror and could only agree. The violet dress fitted her perfectly and was perfectly stunning-a taffeta sheath with a loose, slightly fuller overdress of filmy georgette. It just skimmed her knees, had a halter-neck top, a low back and a cyclamen trim that gathered the bodice in and became the ties behind her neck. The combination of the two colours was exciting, the cut and lines were exquisite and the whole thing seemed to flow with her body.

'What do you think?' Loretta asked.

Davina turned to her with a faint smile, 'You're a genius, but it's a bit more revealing than-'

'Perish the thought!' Loretta commanded. 'What's the use of having a figure like yours if you don't make use of it?'

Davina heaved an inward sigh and once again castigated herself for allowing Steve Warwick's mocking look to goad her into trying to prove to him that she wasn't a willing recluse. But the deed was done… 'What are you wearing?'

'Something a lot more revealing, darling,' Loretta purred. 'I mean to say, you can't even see your cleavage and a bit of back is hardly anything shocking!'

'OK! OK-it is a lovely dress and thank you for all the work you've put into it but you shouldn't have.'

'I enjoyed every minute of it. And there are these to go with it.' 'These' were matching suede violet pumps and pale grey tights. 'I've got the feeling we've got the same size feet.' Davina slid her foot into one shoe and nodded. 'So-take half an hour off, relax a bit, and come out looking wonderful,' Loretta commanded. 'Candy has given me permission to do her hair and Lavinia is already in her war-paint and revelling in being temporarily in command of the kitchen-I'll leave you to it!' And she waltzed out of the chalet joyfully.

Davina sighed again then slipped out of the dress and went to wash her hair.

An hour later she was ready.

She'd put her hair up loosely and put on a pair of drop pearl earrings, her only jewellery. She'd also used more make-up than she normally wore, some shimmering grey eyeshadow and mascara as well as a film of foundation, but she'd done it all with the lightest touch so that although it was barely perceptible, she felt finished.

Outwardly, that is, she mused as she stared at her reflection in the lovely dress. Inwardly, I feel about as much in a party mood as if I were going to the guillotine in a tumbril-damn! This is ridiculous. Why did I let myself in for it?

Because you wanted to show Steve Warwick something, she answered herself ruefully, and squared her shoulders suddenly and added, so do it.

Lavinia was in the kitchen when Davina returned to the house about twenty minutes before the guests were due to arrive. And, as Loretta had mentioned, she was dressed and ready and looking marvellously regal in black lace with her short cap of silver hair elegantly styled and with a strand of the most exquisite pearls Davina had seen around her neck. Causing her to say, genuinely, 'You look wonderful, Mrs Warwick!'

'Thank you, child,' Lavinia responded and looked down complacently at her lace dress. 'I may not patronise Loretta C, but I didn't get to eighty-two without knowing a thing or two about clothes myself.'

'Eighty-two!' Davina said before she could stop herself.

Lavinia positively glowed. 'Surprised you there, didn't I? I surprise most people-it all comes from healthy living and having a mind of your own. You look very nice yourself, I must say, although-well, no-'

'Say it, Lavinia.' Steve walked into the kitchen and came to stand in front of Davina with his eyebrows raised expressively as he looked her up and down and murmured, 'A change of heart, Mrs Hastings? One could almost say you've gone from the ridiculous to the sublime in that dress.'

Davina knew she was blushing and knew there was not a thing she could do about it, as his gaze moved upwards from the slim length of her legs clad in filmy grey to come to rest briefly on the almost bare skin of her shoulders then clash with her own gaze.

'Well, I was going to say that Loretta sometimes undresses people rather than dresses them-heaven alone knows what she will be wearing herself!' Lavinia soldiered on. 'But Davina seems to be able to carry it with dignity, don't you agree, Steven?'

He turned away at last and smiled with genuine amusement at his grandmother. 'Oh, she does.'

For a moment Lavinia looked perplexed-but only for a moment. 'I had thought you might wear something more formal, Steven,' she started, but he cut her off with another smile.

'Now, you didn't really, did you, Lavinia?' he mocked. 'When have I ever dressed up for one of your cocktail parties?'

His grandmother regarded his plain white fine lawn open-necked shirt and khaki trousers-all of which had been ironed to perfection by Maeve-his tamed tawny hair and the look of irony in his eyes and said frustratedly, 'Well, what do you think, Davina?'

Davina blinked and was conscious that, quite unfairly, Steve Warwick privately took her breath away a little whatever he wore… 'Er…'

'Yes, Davina, what do you think?' he drawled, turning back to her, his eyes alight with sheer devilry.

She bit her lip, and said stiffly, 'It's got nothing to do with me.'

'I thought you might say that,' he replied sweetly. 'There you are, dear Grandmama, it's no good appealing to Davina, she-er-refuses to involve herself with me. So you'll either have to be a lot cleverer or more subtle about whatever you have in mind-do I hear someone arriving?'

Lavinia, who had been looking from Davina to Steve, and particularly at the way Steve hadn't taken his eyes off Davina, with something like dawning comprehension in her own eyes, came to with a start and bustled out of the kitchen so far as anyone as regal as she could ever be said to bustle.

Leaving the two of them alone, and leaving Davina feeling like a mouse in a trap, and hating it. 'Why did you do that?' she hissed, her eyes dark and angry. 'That was as good as telling her… telling her-'

'Telling her the true state of affairs between us, Davina?' he queried softly and moved his shoulders slightly. 'To tell the truth, I don't entirely know why I did it either, but it might have had something to do with you in that dress.' His eyes lingered all the way down her body then came back to hers. 'Be that as it may, do you really think you can hide from them? Loretta and Lavinia? I have to say I doubt it-why do you think they jockeyed you into this position in the first place? So we might as well have it out in the open and be done with all the innuendoes et cetera. That's what I think,' he said placidly.

'Think what?' Loretta flowed into the kitchen all in silver and, surprisingly, the dress covered her from her neck to her wrists to below her knees, pleated, tissuey, billowing and with not a square inch of exposed bust or back to be seen. And she had a large silver bow binding her black hair.

'I thought you said you were wearing something similar to this-' Davina broke off abruptly and frowned.

'Changed my mind,' Loretta replied laconically. 'There are some things you can't fight, and outshining you in certain respects tonight is one of 'em, apart from defeating the purpose-er-' She broke off, looked fleetingly chagrined with herself then turned nonchalantly to Steve and repeated, 'Think what?'

But he was laughing silently at Davina's slightly murderous expression, and it was a moment before he said, 'See what I mean? Loretta,' he added to his stepmother with absolutely false and suddenly assumed gravity, 'you're quite right, Davina and I are going through a bit of hell because we took one look at each other and were wildly intrigued, but to Davina's mind there's absolutely no future in it. So there's no need for any further probing little forays to be indulged in between you and Lavinia, not to mention presenting Davina to me rather like a bait on a hook-that is how things stand. Why, pumpkin-' his hazel gaze came to rest beyond Loretta where Candice stood rather shyly in the doorway '-now you do look like Alice in Wonderland. Can I take you to the party?' And he crossed the room, took Candice's hand in his and led her out, much to her obvious joy.

'Bastard,' Loretta muttered as she looked around, plucked a bottle of champagne from a silver cooler, popped the cork with a minimum of fuss and poured a glass of it. 'Here, drink this. Sit down-don't look like that, he's only a man but they can be absolute hell sometimes, talking of those things!'

'I…' Davina tried to steady her trembling lips as she did sit down rather suddenly. 'He… how could he?'

'I know,' Loretta said soothingly. 'Come on, have a sip. The thing is,' she went on after Davina had had several sips of champagne, 'you don't have to take anything lying down from him.' She grimaced ruefully and said, 'I didn't mean that literally, but just give him as good as you get! If I were you, I'd give him a right royal run for his money-that's the way to handle them.'

'Talking of running, all I want to do is run away right now,' Davina said hollowly.

But Loretta was outraged. 'Don't you dare! That would be as good as admitting everything he's saying about you is right!'

'I don't… I'm not sure what he is saying,…'

Loretta cocked an eyebrow at her. 'That you're a coward?' she suggested softly. 'That's one of their favourite themes,' she added knowledgeably.

'But don't you see?' Davina said distraughtly. 'I just don't want to get into those kind of…pride and ego tussles, or whatever they are, with any man!'

Loretta shrugged. 'How right you are, but-' she paused '-Steve…I've never known him to actually chase a woman like this, and I mean in a no-holds-barred, don't-care-who-knows kind of way. I think you must have affected him rather deeply, Davina.'