There are man who, even now, would resist such a suggestion. Who would stamp their feet and claim insult. Such men are used to the pampered life and being in command, and more than once Kate has reflected that they are all likely not to have been saddled with any of those. There'd been the man to gift her that lingerie, but he'd been more lazy than arrogant. Mr Gracchus could have been one of them, but Kate's got a measure of the man by now.

He adapts well, he has that going for him. She suspects the stint in the Roman army has helped with that.

"Hmm, just one piece?" Kate asks, watching his gestures carefully. "That should be simple enough. Come down tomorrow morning, just after I've washed the floor here. Then it should be clean enough to spread the fabric out and cut it."