THAT EVENING, AS ON so many nights, Rafferty sat alone in his flat. He was in a maudlin’ mood as he brooded over several nightcap glasses of Jameson’s. How many others were, like himself, he wondered, sitting alone and lonely right now?
Was Ralph Dryden one of them? Strange to think he might be sharing the solitary midnight hour with the property developer.
Loneliness, as he had discovered, made people especially vulnerable; highflying career women – and men – who had no one to go home to as well as pretty young women like Jenny and Estelle. Why else would they have joined a dating agency?
How many of them lacked friendly neighbours who took an interest or a close-knit family such as he had? Admittedly, his family as often caused him grief as gave him pleasure or support, but at least t
