Back to last night, when he was banging on the door. Alastair put his brush down and went leisurely into the hallway, pulling the living room door closed behind him. I slipped my dress back on without putting any underwear on first, which was rather naughty, don’t you think?

“Ah, good evening, David,” Alastair announced as I heard the door opening. “What brings you here?”

“I wanna word with you, Slater,” David slurred loudly, sounding so young and foolish next to Alastair’s poise.

After this there were a few loud bangs, as if someone had been hit, and the clank of something hitting the ground. I was worried, as David is tall and just back from army training. He must have thrown a few punches at Alastair.

I peeked into the hallway.

But there was Alastair, not a hair out of place, holding David in a kind of vise grip, a broken beer bottle lying on the floor, which I can only assume was David’s.

I found myself looking at Alastair with renewed awe. Where did he learn those combat skills?

“I’m not entirely sure what it is that you want, David,” Alastair said lightly. “But trying to bottle me is not a good means of communication.”

“I know she’s in here, Slater.” David’s voice was getting louder. “Get out of my way.”

Next thing I knew he had bombarded past Alastair and was bursting into the living room, where I now sat, good as gold, perched on the settee, my hands together in my lap, my green floral dress delicately creased, and a small smile on my lips. “Hello, David.”

“Venetia,” he said, dismayed, his big floppy mouth gaping open. I can only wonder how dazzled he’d have been if he caught me with no clothes on.

He came up to me and sat beside me, taking my hands in his. “Venetia, I need to see you. I’m leaving tomorrow.” He was drunker than I thought, his hands moist and clammy, his breath virtually toxic. “I wanted one last kiss, since you’re giving yourself to every man in the village.”

I slapped him, although not hard. I knew it was just another line he was trotting out. “David, I can be with who I want. You need to learn that no one owns me, especially with this war going on. We all need to be ourselves, free.”

I laughed as I said it; I’m no more free than he is. Alastair has me completely smitten.

Suddenly David lunged for me, trying to kiss me, his flabby lips like a cold fish slurping me up.

“David, please, stop!” I cried.

Alastair pried him away from me, and David stood and turned to punch him, but Alastair ducked, sending David flying over to the other side of the room, completely off balance, crashing on the floor in the corner.

Then he turned and saw the picture.

“My God, Venetia,” he gasped, gazing up at it flabbergasted.

I remained perched on the settee as if butter wouldn’t melt in my mouth, as Alastair dashed over and covered the easel with a large black sheet.

“Done from imagination, I hope you understand,” Alastair said lightly, trying to hide a compulsion to laugh.

“Venetia, you were posing nude for this scoundrel?” He got up and whisked the black sheet away, taking it all in, the curves, the—well, I’ll leave the rest to your imagination, Angie. Suffice to say, he saw it all.

“It’s art, David,” I said simply, shaking my hair back in a nonchalant fashion. “It’s what artists do.”

“You took your clothes off for this bastard,” he snarled, his face set in a reddening grimace. “You let him paint you. You let him touch you, didn’t you?”

“David, I’m a grown woman.”

“And I’m a grown man.” He stood looking from me to the portrait in seething silence.

“David, I know you’re leaving tomorrow, but you need to go now. This is Mr. Slater’s house. You can’t just go around barging into people’s houses like this—”

“I’ll tell your father.” He broke in decisively. “He’ll have Slater’s guts for garters.” His strangled laugh came out somewhat awkwardly. “He’ll put a stop to him.”

“Don’t tell him, David.” This was getting out of hand. Daddy would kill Alastair, and probably me, too. “I know you won’t betray me like this.”

He looked me in the eye, and then his eyes traveled down my body, and I felt he was groping me in his mind, lifting my dress, his hands all over me.

Then, quick as a flash, David grabbed the picture and was out into the cold midnight air, slamming the door shut in my face as I raced out after him. I yanked it open and ran into the darkness, but the blackout had him out of sight in seconds.

Alastair came alongside me, and we darted around the village green trying to listen for his escape route, but he’d vanished. I never thought he’d be so extraordinarily daring. Or so incredibly fast.

Our search ended when I tripped over a rock and went tumbling down toward the pond, surprising a few snoozing ducks.

“Are you all right?” Alastair whispered, coming up beside me.

But before he could utter another word, I dragged him toward me, and we began kissing right there on the village green.

What would Mrs. B. say to that, do you think?

So we never found David, who disappeared off to war this morning. I wondered if he’d have had time to run over to show the painting to Daddy, but he evidently didn’t as Daddy hasn’t murdered anyone. In any case, he’d be risking his own life by being the messenger; Daddy can be a lunatic with a shotgun. Remember what happened to that poacher last year?