He showed me into the room next to the one we were in. I should think it was once a dining room. It was as he had described it. The lighting made it feel comfortable, even cosy. “I’ll leave you to undress and put on the gown that’s hanging over there. I’ll be back shortly.” He went out and closed the door behind him. When he came back, I had done as he asked, but I said to him “I’m not going to pussyfoot about with this t...

I heard footsteps behind me, running. I turned to look and was grabbed. A hand came round and clamped over my mouth, the other one circled my waist. He must have been hiding behind a bush in one of the front gardens. I wriggled and struggled, but the arm round my waist was just too tight, but I had one arm almost free. I remembered a few self-defence lessons I’d learnt and I knew I should use my free arm to try to startle...