Had he been suggesting they meet in the morning to ride together, and if so why hadn’t he simply asked her if she would like to join him in Regents Park? Did he want to meet her but was reluctant to say so in front of Justine in case she took it amiss, or was Annabel simply reading too much into an idle comment? Somehow she didn’t think so, Jack never seemed to speak without purpose, it was one of the things which made him so interesting to talk to, but he also seemed very decent, surely he didn’t mean to deceive Justine? Perhaps, she thought, with a surge of hope, Jack and Justine didn’t have an understanding after all, which would leave Jack entirely free to make cryptic comments to whomever he chose. ‘You’re very quiet,’ Mrs Black observed, interrupting her train of thought. It was on the tip of Annabel’s tongue to say that she thought she would ride in the morning, but she stopped herself just in time, Henry was far too likely to want to join her and whether Jack Denham was expecting her to meet him or not, Annabel would far rather find out by herself.
