Susannah Agnew drove up to the gates of the Chapters and pointed the electronic remote control at a discreet metal box mounted on the right-hand supporting brick pillar. The black wrought-iron gates, topped with gilt filials, swung open.

Situated on the borders of Cobham and Oxshott, the Chapters had been described in the developer's brochure as a luxury, gated development of three five-bedroom detached houses and two semi-detached flint-faced cottages. Casual access, to the despair of deliverymen and impromptu callers, was impossible. A state-of-the-art video entry-phone system allowed the residents to vet all those who sought to pass through the eight-foot-high gates. Once inside, the three main houses, fronted by expansive lawns and brick driveways, were grouped in a semi-circle around an asymmetrical lawned and planted central island. To the left of the houses stood the pair of semi-detached flint cottages, formerly a single nineteenth-century workman's dwelling, an afterthought following an acrimonious planning dispute in which the developer had been refused permission to demolish the original building and replace it with a fourth five-bedroom house. The whole development was encased by a tall brick wall separating it from Oxshott Woods and the world beyond.

James had brought the developer's brochure home. She could recall him, standing in their Fulham kitchen, reading out the text in a tone of mock pomposity. This exclusive Surrey development will appeal to those discerning purchasers who are accustomed to homes of distinction and who demand personal security of the highest standard. Or words to that effect. They had laughed, congratulating themselves at their metropolitan sophistication in the face of such appalling prose - unaware that they were already falling under the spell of the copywriter's flattering words and the photographer's seductive images. Now she could see how each phrase and photograph was cleverly chosen to appeal to the forty-something affluent purchasers at which the Chapters was marketed. Bedrooms, all with en suite bathrooms, were shown romantically furnished with sleigh beds and white linen and flowers. Children's rooms - immaculately tidy - featured booked-lined shelves and desks neatly set with schoolwork. The dining room was laid for an elegant dinner party. The conservatory was set for morning coffee. The kitchen portrayed a laughing couple preparing Sunday brunch.

The only laughable thing, Susannah realised in retrospect, was that she had been taken in by it all - the idea that life in the Chapters would be one long round of passionate sex and convivial parties set against a backdrop of studiously silent children…