Becky talks to her friend... But is her friend okay?

Becky steps into the conservatory, and finally spots her friend.

"Amy! I've been looking all over for you! Oh, and hi, Drake." Becky's voice drops as she notices that Amy is squeezed up next to the same tall black man that invited them here, and he's even wrapped an arm round behind her.

They are getting much too familiar, much too quickly. There's no way that Amy would let a man come on quite this strong on day 1, without whatever new rules she's being **** to follow. But, because Amy didn't disclose the details of the Queen of Spades contract to Becky, Becky doesn't know if there's even anything she can do. All she can try, is the obvious.

"Amy, can you come with me for a minute?" Becky asks politely and casually.

Amy makes no move to follow her.

Drake gives them both the side-eye.

"Do you want to go right now?" Drake asks Amy, with a weird emphasis on those last two words.

Amy squeaks shyly. "N-no, not right now."

Amy is turning bright red, Becky can see. She's clearly ashamed by her response, and rejecting her friend like this, and Becky knows that she wouldn't prioritize flirting with this man unless she had to.

Becky furrows her brow, and tries one more time. "I'd really like to speak to you in private, Amy. It's important."

Amy's expression falters, looking uncertain. When she speaks, she speaks in a hoarse voice.

"Can it... Can it wait a couple of minutes?"

Why is she breathing heavily? Is she really that stressed out? Becky thinks to herself.

"Fine." Becky agrees sullenly. "But, then, do you mind if I join you until you're ready?"

"I'd really rather you didn-" Amy begins.

"I've got no problem with that." Drake interrupts.

And then Amy immediately relents. "Sure, let's ch-ch-chat."

She's stuttering now?

"It sounded like there was some commotion in the entrance hall? I couldn't see from the buffet table, but everyone was buzzing with shock and intrigue. What was that about?" Becky asks her friend.

"Oh, it was nothing. I mean, it was probably nothing. I mean, I wouldn't know. I didn't see anything." Amy stumbles over her own words, turning redder and redder.

"Where did you go?" Becky asks, incredulous.

"Um... Um..." Amy is so stressed that she's really struggling to concentrate. "Um... Um... Where did I go, you ask..."

"Yeah, where did you go when I went to check out the food?" Becky presses the question.

"Aaaah, deep! Deep up inside the manor! I, oooh, I went exploring... Round the back rooms... I didn't ask for permission, though, so I wasn't sure if the host would be okay with me just making myself at home like that! So I thought, why not wait... Until the host is ready to give me a private tour!"

And then Amy gives a long deep exhale of breath, and makes a visible effort to take control and slow down her rate of breathing.

"Yes, a private tour. Excellent. And that's what I'm here for." Drake confirms. "I've shown Amy the delights of the moon from back here, and next I want to show her the drawing room upstairs. It's so peaceful and... welcoming... up there."

Drake's hand reappears from where it was presumably holding Amy's right hip, and he holds it out for Becky to shake.

"I don't want us to get off on the wrong foot, just because Amy and I are getting on so well, and you are quite rightly rather protective of her. But how's this for a deal - you give us some distance, and leave us alone to get to know each other better, for the next two hours, and I contractually promise, for the rest of the night, not to touch her any place I haven't touched her before."

Becky narrows her eyes. She knows something is up, because Amy wouldn't let this man hold her hips like that if it wasn't for her contract, but she truly lacks the information necessary to know how to protect Amy from herself in this situation.

"Any part of your body." Becky confirms.

"I won't let any part of my body touch any part of hers that I haven't touched already, and we haven't even kissed. And if Amy tries to make me break that rule, I'll be doing my utmost to stop her."

Becky tries to make eye contact with Amy, to see what she thinks of this, but Amy has her gaze fixed on the floor.

This has got to be better than nothing.

"Fine. But in two hours, you have to come find me, and I'm taking Amy home." Becky demands.

"Deal." Drake agrees.

Becky takes Drake's right hand, and shakes it firmly.

Drake squeezes Becky's hand back just as tightly, and for some reason, seems to take great pleasure in rubbing his thumb up and down the back of Becky's hand.