Unknown by Unknown Page A

which would, she hoped, hide the fact that her jeans and shirt bore evidence of her morning’s work. She ran outside to find Rex at the wheel impatiently revving the engine, and he had the vehicle moving almost before her door was closed.
    When they reached the first gate Davina was out and had it open before Rex could so much as turn his head, for his astringent remark on the duties of a passenger on their arrival here had flicked her on the raw. He stopped only to let her out at the village store when they reached Camshaw before driving on to pull up beside the telephone kiosk further along the village street.
    There were several people in the large village shop when Davina pushed open the door and wandered to the corner where tins of paint jostled for space with detergents and toiletries. She hid a smile as she became aware of the curious glances being cast in her direction, for she was well used to the speculation any stranger aroused in a village community.
    She waited for the first direct question, and it was not long in coming. Ignoring the prior claims of the other customers, the owner of the store appeared at her elbow, smiled and asked, ‘Can I help? Is it paint you’re wanting, Miss …' and he waited with unshakable confidence for Davina to fill the gap.
    She gave an inward sigh of resignation and smiled back. ‘Williams. And yes, I do want paint. Is this all you’ve got, Mr...’
    For a moment the storekeeper looked taken aback, not used to having his own tactics turned against him. ‘Berwick’s the name, Miss Williams. Yes, I’m afraid we only keep the white, but I can order colours if you like. Take about a week to get here.’
    Well aware that the other occupants of the shop were avidly listening to every word, Davina said, ‘That’s too long. I guess the white will have to do. Two large tins of the emulsion and one of gloss paint—oh, and a roller and some brushes, please.’
    Her purchases were being carefully wrapped when Rex strode into the shop and joined her at the counter. ‘Got what you want?’ he asked as he took out his wallet.
    The tying up of the parcel was halted for a moment as Mr Berwick said, ‘Morning, Mr Fitzpaine. I didn’t know the young lady was with you.’
    ‘We’re going to do a bit of decorating at Nineveh,’ Rex replied as he threw some notes on the counter. ‘My sister felt she couldn’t live with olive green paint. Oh, didn’t she introduce herself?’ he asked in apparent surprise as Mr Berwick looked too stunned to reply. ‘This is my stepsister, Miss Williams. She’s come to keep house for me for a while.’ All Davina’s amusement at the unconcealed curiosity of the occupants of the store vanished as she listened to Rex’s glib lie and she opened her mouth to refute his introduction just as a sharp pinch on her upper arm warned her to hold her tongue.
    Her soft lips closed into a tight little line as Rex collected his change, picked up the parcel and led the way outside. As soon as they were seated in the Land Rover, however, she turned to her companion and demanded, ‘What was the point of that whopping lie back there? I know you’re a long way from home, but I’m not, and I haven’t got a brother. Not even a stepbrother,’ she finished, her eyes flashing fire.
    ‘Cool down! I should have thought the object of the exercise was self-evident. Once it became known that you and I were not related, you know as well as I do what suspicious natures most country folk have, and they’d never have swallowed the housekeeper bit. No one would give a damn in Sydney or London what we were up to, but you tell me you come from a small village, and I know just what would be said over the galah session where I come from,’ Rex’s voice held amused irony. ‘With a pretty little thing like you under my roof the neighbourhood tabbies would have the skin off my back before you could say Captain Cook.’
    ‘Whose reputation were you protecting, then, yours or