Page 24

Alice bit her lip and bobbed her head.

“Sit for a moment, will you?”

“I should get back to the accounts?—”

“That can wait.”

Alice swallowed and, accepting her fate, moved to take a seat in one of the two leather chairs facing the desk. Truscote eyed her whilst taking a tentative sip from the steaming cup.

“Mmm, that’s good.”

Alice stared at the desk, tracing the knots of the dark wood with her eyes.

After a tense moment, Truscote leaned forward and spoke in a soft voice. “You need to be careful with Mrs Dalton. She’s?—”

“It’s not what you think.” The volume of her own voice startled her.

Truscote sat back and the corner of her mouth lifted in satisfied affirmation, thanks to Alice’s over-reaction.

“Look, Alice. I have no right to tell you how to live your life. But, when it comes to the Daltons, I have an obligation to warn you. Jeremy, he’s a good man. But Francesca, she’s?—”

“She’s what?” Alice’s fists clenched at the unexpected hurt of hearing someone else ripping into Fran. Alice could think what she liked about Fran, but they were lovers. What right had this woman, this sour cow, got to pass judgement?Fran is worth a thousand of this frigid old bag.

Truscote raised her hands. “Just be careful, okay? I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Alice got to her feet, blood pulsing in her ears as she batted away her intrusive thoughts: the urge to snatch the cup and throw hot coffee all over Truscote’s smug face, the urge to take back the fancy Fortnum’s biscuit, the urge to tell this old bitch where to shove her job. She breathed deeply to steady herself.

“Thank you for the warning, but I can make up my own mind about Fran. And you’d better not mention any of this… this nonsense to Jeremy.”

Truscote puffed a laugh through her nose and shook her head. She replaced her reading glasses and resumed her notes.

Conversation over; Alice dismissed.

Back in the relative sanctuary of the reception room, Alice held out her shaky hands. She could do with a drink after that encounter. She could do with seeing Fran again.

Jeremy’s appointment would end any moment now, but she couldn’t wait.Fuck it.

She scrawled an excuse on a sticky note and stuck it to her screen — Jeremy would understand.He’s good like that.Her thumbs tapped out a text as she shrugged on her coat and stepped outside.

Still about? Meet me for a drink?

Alice grinned as an instant reply from Fran pinged through.

White Lion. See you there x

5

CHAOTIC LITTLE LIFE

Asickening smell of peach air freshener wafted from the vents, as the Uber navigated the tight country lanes and propelled Alice away from Fran and the disaster scene of the muffin café.

Alice groaned and sank down into the back seat, half-hoping that it might swallow her. She retrieved her phone from her pocket and swiped past another wave of Fran-related notifications to dial Maggie.

The phone rang and rang until it didn’t, and Maggie’s clipped voice spoke into her ear.

“Hey, you’ve reached the voicemail of Maggie Carter-Mills. I can’t take your call right now, obvs. You know what to do. Ta-rah!”

Shit.