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garden.’
    Rising to her full height once again, Beth reassuringly patted the other woman’s arm. ‘Well, compared to the gardens at High Ridge our garden is fairly modest, I promise you. Charlie can’t get lost out there. And there are no ponds or anything like that to worry about either. Besides, he’ll have Dylan to play with. Do you want to get his ball and throw it for him, Charlie?’
    ‘Yes, please!’ The lad didn’t need much inducement.
    ‘His ball is in a box just under the steps,’ Beth told him.
    As Sophia reluctantly released the light grip on his shoulder, as if intuiting his mother’s concern, Charlie turned to throw her a disarming grin. ‘I’ll be all right, Mummy—promise!’ he said, and without further ado he flew out through the open patio doors onto the decking area, where two long tables were laden with platters of what remained of the delicious food Beth had prepared.
    The repast still looked appetising in the watery spring sunshine, even though the hungry guests had helped themselves to a fair amount of it already.
    Pounding down the wooden steps, fetching the dog’s ball and racing out into the neatly mown garden,Charlie called loudly, ‘Dylan! Dylan! Do you remember me? I’m Charlie. Come here, boy!’
    ‘I’ll introduce you to everyone in a moment—but first let me get you a drink, Sophia.’
    Beth cleverly brought the other woman’s attention back from her anxious perusal of her disappearing son. Paul had joined them just as Charlie had run out into the garden, and now Jarrett’s sister turned to him with one of the dazzling persuasive smiles that her husband had always found so hard to resist.
    ‘Darling? Would you be a love and get Sophia a nice glass of champagne?’
    ‘No!’
    The loud, vehement refusal sent a buzz of shock eddying round the other guests—Jarrett included …

CHAPTER THREE
    S HE felt like a fool, blurting out her refusal as forcefully as she had. As soon as the impassioned exclamation had left her mouth Sophia had wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. It made her feel like the one jarring note in a symphony that had been harmonious until her arrival. Yet, blunt as her refusal had been, she had good reason to detest alcohol. Living with a violent alcoholic whose behaviour had been coloured by terrifying unpredictable rages was apt to make a woman deeply despise it—
fear
it as well.
    ‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured, reddening. ‘I just meant to say that I’m teetotal. Do you have some lemonade or cola, perhaps, instead?’
    ‘Sure. No problem.’
    Paul Harvey shoved his hands into the pockets of his chinos and Sophia saw that his initially welcoming manner was now tinged with wariness. It made her bitterly regret deciding to attend the party. It was true she’d wrestled with the idea of staying away.
That was why she and Charlie had arrived so late
. As her host turned away to get the promised soft drink, his wife Beth issued her a sympathetic smile. Along with her guests, no doubt she was privately wondering at thereason why the newest member of the village should have reacted to the offer of champagne so violently.
    Sophia prayed that the other woman wouldn’t take it upon herself to quiz her at any point. The last thing she felt like doing was explaining herself to her perfect-looking hostess with her perfect-looking life, friends and husband. How could such a protected woman even
begin
to understand the pain, degradation and humiliation of the life Sophia had led with her husband? And all the reasons
why
she hated alcohol?
    Silently warring with the strongest urge to just turn around and leave, she let her anxious gaze fall into Jarrett’s. His strong brow was etched with the faintest frown, yet when his clear blue eyes met hers he somehow transmitted reassurance. She found herself latching onto it like a life raft.
    Jarrett didn’t yet know what Sophia’s issues with alcohol were, but he was determined to find out. He’d genuinely