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will.’
    ‘But Tom, I really don’t want to get . . .’
    Her voice tailed away as the masterful air dropped from him. He put his hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes with the air of a puppy pleading not to be kicked. ‘Won’t you even give me a chance, Emily?’ His voice was full of raw longing.
    ‘B–but I—’
    ‘I like you, Emily.’ Tom swallowed hard and added in a funny gruff voice, ‘A lot.’
    She could sense how hard it was for a shy man to say those words. And how could she be cruel to someone who had come to her defence against her father?
    ‘It wouldn’t hurt to give a bloke a chance,’ Tom pleaded softly. ‘That’s all I’m asking for. Just a chance.’
    ‘Oh, well, I – you see . . .’
    He beamed at her, pulled her arm inside his and set off walking again, absolutely radiating happiness.
    Oh crikey, he’d thought she meant ‘yes’! Stunned, bewildered, Emily allowed him to escort her along the street, convinced everyone was staring at them.
    At the corner they met Stan Bowler. The expression of shock on his face was more than she could deal with in her present state. She could feel herself blushing and clung for dear life to her only support in a bewildering world – Tom’s arm.
    Stan stopped dead in his tracks, mouth open. She watched as Tom grinned triumphantly at him and slowed down to give her a quick hug. Then he started walking again, whistling cheerfully. She was about to ask what was going on between him and Stan when they arrived at her house.
    At the gate they stopped, and Tom’s hand tightened on hers as he raised it to his chest and pulled her closer. He had to swallow twice before he could get the words out, and even then his voice was rough and choky-sounding. ‘You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever met, Emily Baker. Ever.’
    ‘I–I bet you say that to all the girls, Tom Norris,’ she quavered, making a last-ditch attempt to lighten the atmosphere.
    ‘No, I don’t. I couldn’t. Just to you, Em.’
    His eyes were a clear green and his expression was serious and loving. She gulped and looked down at his hand. Square-tipped fingers, scrubbed nails, little scratches. It felt strong and warm and comforting. She felt a funny little ache start in her chest; to think that a man should be so gone on her.
    He released her hand and smiled. ‘You’d better go inside now, Em. We don’t want your father getting upset at me again.’
    ‘Yes.’ She couldn’t even voice her usual protest at the shortening of her name, she felt so strange and wobbly.
    She watched Tom stride away. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to give this bloke a chance. It’d be nice to have someone to go out with. Most of the other girls her age were paired off. That didn’t mean she was courting, or intending to get married. No way. But she did like him. They could just be friends. No harm in that.
    Part Three
    T hree weeks later, however, Emily found out about the bet. She had never been so furious in her whole life, not even when her father hit her.
    Vera, who had told her about it over a shared lunch in the Memorial Gardens, looked at her anxiously. ‘I thought you ought to know.’
    ‘I’ll kill him!’ Emily raged. ‘How dare he bet on me like that? Just wait till I see that Tom Norris!’
    ‘Keep your voice down. Mrs Lukas is coming.’
    Emily bit down on her fury and tried to smile.
    Mrs Lukas, who had probably been coming to ask for their help at the church fête, as usual, took one look at Emily’s flushed angry face, made a smart left turn and walked away.
    Vera patted her friend’s arm. ‘You shouldn’t get mad at him. He only did it because he fell for you. Bill told me Tom took one look at you at the social and he was gone.’ She sighed enviously.
    ‘One look and he was ready to make a laughing stock of me. I will kill him!’
    ‘Bill says Stan was making all sorts of nasty remarks about you that night, an’ Tom stuck up for you.’
    Emily opened her mouth to say