Tony Taylor reflects on how long it has been since his last date and is pleased by how well the evening with Felicity has gone. At an expensive restaurant near Axley, Felicity talks about television and famous clients while Tony talks about local parking and his Ford Sierra Cosworth. After dinner they walk in the gardens and kiss, and Tony feels hopeful about where the relationship might lead.

Because Felicity is staying at Steve’s empty house and Tony plans to show her around the New Forest the next day, the two continue the evening with a nightcap at The Brass Monkey. Tony notices Felicity chatting easily with John and Jyoti and is glad his friends seem to like her. He also thinks about Steve being away with Amy and about the recent murder near Hollands Wood, though he has avoided bringing that up because he wants the evening to stay light.

At the table, John and Jyoti bluntly describe the murder Steve mentioned, and Felicity shows she is not put off by hearing about it. Then the conversation turns stranger when John and Jyoti ask Tony to tell more about a woman in prison in Dubai who is supposedly Felicity’s client. Felicity says she has no such client, and Tony insists he never told that story, leaving all three briefly confused about where the information came from.

When John and Jyoti head for another round, Tony and Felicity take the chance to leave. Outside, they walk arm in arm up to Steve’s cottage, with Tony carrying Felicity’s overnight bag. Felicity says she likes Axley and might return, and Tony reassures her that his friends liked her despite the odd exchange about Dubai, dismissing John and Jyoti’s comments as the sort of thing drinkers invent.

At Steve’s house, Felicity warmly invites Tony in, and Tony is encouraged by the intimacy of the moment. As he unlocks the door, he thinks he sees a flash from an upstairs window, which makes him suspect for a second that someone might be inside. Once they enter, the sudden noise is quickly explained when Steve’s black cat, Trouble, comes downstairs, showing that the apparent threat was only a false alarm.