BOOK 4

She didn't feel strong enough to ask the question direct, but she could try a roundabout route. 'What does your mother think of you running an antique shop?'

'It worries her, of course,' he admitted readily. 'She doesn't say so, but she fears I may take after my father.'

'And do you?'

'No.' The single word came out serene and unassertive, a simple statement of fact. 'I take after the Clarks, but not my father.'

'It must be a bit uncertain though?' she offered cautiously. 'As a way of earning a living?'

'I don't need to earn a living.' He smiled, with a certain edge of irony. 'My father left me three million dollars.'

'What?' Amy put down her cup, suddenly weak. 'Real money? In the bank?'

Paul nodded. 'He financed movies. It seems that after a while, he got a reputation as somebody who could pick winners.'

'So in the end, his gambling paid off.' Amy sat back, taking it in. 'That means you're rich.'

'It certainly means I've got enough.' He regarded her over the gleaming tea things. 'Do