" What you need is an extra backer , " she declared when on Wednesday , still wading in financial treacle , he informed her that the bank had already been on the phone before she'd got there .sx " I wish !sx " he replied .sx By Friday , however , some people who owed him money , quite a lot of it , paid up , and that particular crisis was weathered .sx But it had been a fraught week - so much so that Saturday morning arrived Pernelle felt more in need of a blow of fresh air than tackling any of her usual Saturday morning chores .sx She took a quick look around her already neat - as - a - new - pin home , and wasted no more time .sx Soon she was out in her car and was leaving the town of East Durnley behind her .sx She did not drive very far , however , no more than five or six miles , when , as if the charming village pulled her , she found that she was motoring slowly through Chumleigh Edge .sx I could have lived here , but for that man Tremaine , she thought solemnly , having never forgotten his name , nor the unfairness that he was living where she wanted to live , but only at weekends .sx Correction - only on the occasional weekend !sx .sx She motored on , out of the village itself , until , when a right fork would have taken her away from Myrtle Cottage , her car seemed to have a will of its own and turned left .sx She was still driving slowly , but slowed down even more as she neared the pair of semi - detached cottages .sx The setting was still beautiful , but the garden of Primrose Cottage seemed strangely neglected somehow - but Primrose Cottage did not concern her just then .sx What were they doing to beautiful Myrtle Cottage ?sx Alarm chased through her as she pulled up at the bottom on the double gates of the property and opened the car window for a better look .sx There was a heap of builders' material on the driveway , which , as her heart sank , meant only one thing to Pernelle .sx Myrtle Cottage was about to be extensively altered and , in her opinion , absolutely ruined !sx .sx " Oh , no !sx " she gasped aloud , though she had no idea that any sound had escaped her until , while her eyes were glued to the cottage , she suddenly discovered that she had company .sx A man , a tall man , somewhere in his mid - thirties , had , by the look of it , returned from a walk .sx He had appeared from the rear of her car and was about to open the gates and go through when he halted to turn and look aloofly down at her .sx " Yes ?sx " he enquired crisply , clearly a man who expected straight answers .sx As he stared at her , though , so Pernelle stared back at him .sx His eyes were dark blue , she noted , so dark as to be almost black , and they had already done a speedy if thorough scrutiny of her long thick black hair , dainty features and flawless complexion .sx His own hair was thick and dark , and he had the merest sprinkling of attractive silver at his temples .sx But his look had become sharp , and it seemed to Pernelle as if he was for all the world daring her to object to what he , and his builder , were intending to do to beautiful Myrtle Cottage .sx And that was when Pernelle's past disappointment and present horror at what she envisaged merged and boiled over into anger .sx Who did he think he was , the - the usurper !sx She was totally unused to being so arrogantly regarded , and she tilted her chin an arrogant fraction too , before she let go with a heartfelt , " Going to ruin it , I see , Tremaine !sx " .sx That she appeared to know his name had no effect on him whatsoever , though it was plain that nobody ever gave him uppity treatment !sx Plain , too , that he did not care for it .sx Though when it came to put - down one - liners he was king , she very soon discovered .sx " We must have met on one of my very rare off - nights , " he drawled coolly .sx " We have never met !sx " Pernelle erupted .sx " Then who might you be ?sx " he rapped back before she could draw breath .sx " I'm Pernelle Richards !sx " she snapped furiously , but saw at once that her name meant nothing to him .sx " The person you cheated out of Myrtle Cottage !sx " she was angry enough to hurl at him .sx " Cheated ?sx " he echoed , but by then Pernelle had decided it was utterly beneath her to stay and argue with him .sx With her head still as much in the air as possible as she searched for first gear , she started up her car and drove away , wishing she had never driven in the direction of Myrtle Cottage , and had never pulled up .sx Perhaps it was hiding her head in the sand , but she wouldn't be feeling half so churned up inside as she was now if she hadn't seen for herself the evidence that the new owner was going to spoil it beyond recognition .sx While her anger remained , Pernelle felt quite justified in calling him a cheat .sx Only later , when she had cooled down , did she start to think that in calling him a cheat to his face the way she had done she might perhaps have been going a little too far .sx Even so , it was better to call him a cheat to his face than behind his back , she decided , though was not too sorry that she was never going to see him again .sx In that surmise , though , she was to have doubts before the following week was out .sx Oddly , having met the man Tremaine , having seen him , she was finding it extremely difficult to get what she reluctantly acknowledged was his attractive face out of her mind .sx Of course it wasn't every day that she got so furious at what someone was doing to a lovely old stone building - not to mention the memory of past events - that she really went to town and called that someone a cheat , but she was glad to get to work on Monday and have something else to concentrate her thoughts on .sx She had been at work a couple of hours , though , when Rufus Sayer , the estate agent she had dealt with over Myrtle Cottage , telephoned her .sx " I told you I'd let you know if another cottage like Myrtle Cottage came on to my books , " he began .sx " I've just been out to measure up something that will suit you down to the ground .sx " .sx " Oh , yes ?sx " Pernelle enquired carefully , still in her heart of hearts wanting Myrtle Cottage and no other .sx " You'll be thrilled and delighted when you know where it is !sx " he almost chortled in his selling pitch .sx " Where is it ?sx " she obliged , and at his answer , at once felt her pulses start to stir .sx " Chumleigh Edge .sx " .sx " Chumleigh Edge ?sx " she exclaimed .sx " Where in Chumleigh Edge ?sx " .sx " Do you remember Primrose Cottage ?sx It's right next .sx .. " .sx " Primrose Cottage ?sx Not the one next door to Myrtle Cottage ?sx " .sx " Yes !sx Now isn't that lucky ?sx " he said , and went on to tell her how at nine sharp that morning Mr Goodwin , the same Mr Goodwin who had acted for his mother when she had decided to sell Myrtle Cottage , had rung him to say that he was now acting on behalf of his aunt , the owner of Primrose Cottage .sx She had apparently been finding life exceedingly lonely without her sister - in - law living next door .sx Things had come to a head , apparently , when she had had a fall and had been unable to get up .sx But for the laundry man calling that day , she had realised , she would have been in a great deal of trouble .sx A vacancy now existed in the same nursing home that the Myrtle Cottage Mrs Goodwin was in , and she , missing her sister - in - law too , had finally prevailed on her to join her .sx " I'll take you round to view it in your lunch hour if you'd like me to , " he ended .sx But Pernelle wasn't so sure , and hesitated .sx " I've got a busy lunch hour today , " she replied , having planned to work through part of it , though knowing she could have altered her plan if she really wanted to .sx " I'll be in touch , " she told him , and put the phone down - to be plagued from then until she left the office that evening by asking herself what on earth she was playing at .sx Cottages in Chumleigh Edge didn't come up that often , for goodness' sake .sx By the time Pernelle reached her home she had faced the fact that what was really bothering her was having Tremaine for a neighbour .sx For a few more hours the charms of Chumleigh Edge tugged at her .sx But , as her mother's offer of the deposit for any suitable property had never been withdrawn , Pernelle knew she was weakening when at about eight o'clock that evening she picked up the phone and rang her mother .sx Primrose Cottage , when Pernelle viewed it the next day , was not , as she'd known , as big as Myrtle Cottage .sx Nor was it in such a good state of repair as Myrtle Cottage , and it in no way came up to Myrtle Cottage , but it had potential .sx But because it was not as large as its neighbour , and because of its need of complete redecoration , the asking price was considerably cheaper .sx Pernelle walked around the downstairs sitting - room and kitchen again .sx Upstairs was a bedroom and a bathroom .sx She looked out through the rear window at the screen of trees , and at once started to get happy vibes .sx Gradually the feel of the place started to take over .sx That night she rang her mother again .sx " Did you go to see it ?sx " was Stella Lewis's first excited question .sx " I did .sx " .sx " And .sx .. " .sx " It wants a lot doing to it .sx Every room wants decorating and .sx .. " .sx " Did you like it ?sx " was what her mother wanted to know .sx " It's in a fantastic spot .sx " .sx " It's in a gorgeous spot , " Pernelle could do no other than agree .sx " And I could - love it there , " she added honestly .sx " But .sx .. " .sx " But ?sx " her mother queried .sx Pernelle had told her about her brush with Tremaine , though not that she had called him a cheat .sx " What about him ?sx " she asked .sx " Him ?sx " .sx " My neighbour .sx " .sx " From what you've said , he'll only be there at weekends - and only occasionally at that , " Stella Lewis pointed out .sx " That's true " , Pernelle agreed slowly .sx " And I can't see , if he's so busy that he can only make his retreat on the occasional weekend , that he'll hang on to Myrtle Cottage for much longer , " Stella added , to cheer Pernelle up some more .sx " That's a point , " Pernelle replied , and rang off to ponder - should she then , rather than purchase Primrose Cottage , wait for Myrtle Cottage to come on to the market again ?sx She decided against that when she recalled how it appeared , on a more detailed inspection over the hedge today , that Tremaine was having a large garage built at the side of his property .sx That , plus any other modernisation he was having done , was bound to take any future asking price way beyond her means .sx She'd pushed herself to her financial limits to offer for it before , she recalled .sx The next day she went into the estate agents' and put in a firm bid for Primrose Cottage , but she did not make the mistake again of thinking Primrose Cottage was hers until the day both she and Mrs Goodwin had signed the contract .sx She saw Tremaine only once again , and that was two weeks after she had called him a cheat .sx Her mother and Bruce were up for the weekend , itemising what furniture was to go to Yeovil and what would ultimately find a home in Primrose Cottage .sx It was Saturday afternoon when all three of them took a drive over , and Tremaine was on his way out .sx Had things been different , Pernelle might have introduced herself as his new neighbour and introduced her mother and stepfather , but she didn't in any case , get the chance , for Tremaine didn't so much as glance her way .sx with her chin in the air she went up the path to the front door of Primrose Cottage and went in .sx She had not set eyes on him since .sx