Elusive As The Unicorn. Carole Mortimer

      ‘That was because I forgot that, according to legend, the Unicorn was so damned elusive he became extinct!’ Sophy snorted, undaunted.

      Eve couldn’t help but chuckle at her friend’s utter despair with her attitude towards her anonymity; it was so uncharacteristic of the self-confident Sophy that she couldn’t do anything else!

      It was Sophy’s undoing that Patrick began to chuckle, too, her own grin one of self-mockery.

      ‘Why do I bother, right?’ she grimaced, with a careless shrug of her shoulders. ‘But if I didn’t——’ She broke off as the doorbell rang loudly.

      ‘That will be Paul.’ Eve instantly brightened at the thought of the man she loved. ‘He must have finished earlier than expected and decided to join us, after all.’

      ‘How nice!’ Sophy murmured sarcastically as she moved to answer the door.

      ‘I’d apologise for her, except that I know she’s just as likely to come back in here and be just as rude all over again—but to Paul’s face this time!’ Patrick muttered impatiently. ‘I can’t spend the rest of my life apologising for her outrageous outspokenness.’ He shook his head.

      Just as Eve, supposedly, couldn’t spend the rest of her life ‘apologising for being alive’. Once again Adam Gardener’s hurtful remarks came back to disturb her peace of mind.

      She had thought back to their conversation several times since Saturday evening, probably because no one—not even Sophy—had spoken to her in quite that forthright way before. Lord knew what he would have to say to her if he should ever realise she was The Unicorn, the artist he so obviously admired, but also a woman he thought in need of care and protection from herself!