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Alice took her manicured hand and returned the firm handshake.

“Lovely to meet you, Mrs?—”

“Call me Fran.” She gripped Alice’s hand a little tighter.

Alice’s breath quickened as the woman’s dark eyes stared directly into her own with an intensity she felt had the power to strip her bare if she held the gaze too long.

“Fran,” she said in an almost-whimper.

A satisfied smirk spread over Fran’s lips, as if she’d just won a contest no one else knew the rules to. “Shall we? Better not keep our Ivywood ladies waiting.”

Alice followed Fran into the labyrinth of winding corridors; the woman was clearly blessed with a better sense of direction than she.

“Jeremy shared the file with you?”

“He did, thank you.”

“And you’re comfortable with the brief? Poor Susan and that molar extraction.”

“I thought it was a root canal?”

“Mmm, yes. Probably. Anyway, it’s just a case of jotting down who says what in some intelligible way.”

Alice nodded, trying to keep pace with Fran, who was now two strides ahead of her.

“I’m sure it’ll all seem terribly trivial, but some of these Ivywood women have agendas, and they’re not afraid of drawing blood to get their own way.”

Great, now they all sound terrifying.

Fran came to a stop in front of a door and grasped the brass handle. Before entering, she turned and hit Alice with a sexy half-smile. “Ready?”

Alice inhaled a steadying breath and released it with a nod. As Fran pushed into the room, the conversations hushed. From their chairs along the conference table, a dozen coiffured heads swivelled in Alice’s direction. All of a similar age and affluence to Fran, the women exuded a status Alice didn’t possess. After a cursory smile at the blur of faces, she took the seat Fran patted next to her.

The lively chatter resumed, and as teacups rattled on saucers, Alice took a moment to buoy herself in a sea of designer dresses, tailored suits, and chic accessories. In contrast to the ripe animal smell outside, a heady fragrance perfumed the air from an arrangement of lilies and lilacs in the centre of the table. Floor-to-ceiling antique walnut panelling adorned the walls, which would have been gloomy if not for the light streaming through the tall arched windows overlooking a topiary garden.

Fran clinked a teaspoon on a glass. “Ladies, shall we begin?”

Alice pulled the printed document from the manila file and set a notepad straight in front of her.

“Firstly, I’d like you to extend a warm Ivywood welcome to Ms Alice French.”

Alice held up a hand and returned the polite smiles directed at her from around the table.

“Right, shall we start with…”

Alice reached into her handbag for her pen.Shit, where is it?

As Fran started rattling through the agenda, Alice’s rummaging became frantic until Fran tapped her arm and she stilled. Mid-sentence and without a glance her way, Fran subtly pushed a silver pen toward her.

Being bailed out before she’d even got started was not the impression she’d been hoping to make. However, the rest of the meeting passed without event. As long as Alice had a task, she could focus and listen. The coffee breaks helped too; Alice used them as a chance to tidy up her notes and clarify any unclear points with the various attendees.

Fran’s presence dominated the room; she skilfully steered the discussions away from contentious points and gently edged them in a different direction. On more than one occasion, Alice had to hide a grin behind her hand as Fran dismantled anyone who got above themselves. The woman commanded complete control, and the more Alice listened, the more enraptured she became by Fran’s hypnotic voice.

The meeting continued into late afternoon, covering every topic from financial reporting to the election of new committee members — at which point Fran was unanimously re-elected as chairwoman, although Alice suspected the women would have been too afraid not to.

As the final session concluded, Alice had almost filled her notebook. She glanced up at the weary faces around the table. In contrast, she could almost feel the energy pulsing from Fran next to her.

“Well, ladies, that concludes a successful day. Thank you, as always, for your contributions throughout. Also, sincere thanks for the vote of confidence; I look forward to continuing as your chairwoman in the coming year.” She glanced at her wristwatch. “As per your schedules, dinner will be served at seven p.m. in The Madison Suite, which allows a little time to freshen up. See you all there.”