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“Yeah, right, and?”

Elizabeth cleared her throat, looking like she was debating with herself. “And… Eleanor has client confidentiality. Just like you do. I can’t say anything aboutyouraffairs toher, and I can’t say anything aboutheraffairs toyou.”

“Right, okay,” Danni said, getting that there was a point but not truly understanding what it was.

“Jesus,” Elizabeth said. “When they taught us ethics at law school, there was nothing as complicated as this.” She took a breath and tried again. “What I’m trying to get at is that I strongly suggest that you… discuss things with Eleanor.”

Danni’s heart clenched in her chest, but she forced herself to stay cool, to look like she was in control. “I will,” she said, a little too quickly. “Just… not yet.”

“Christ.” Elizabeth rubbed her temples. “Alright, but I wouldn’t leave things too long if I were you. In fact, I’d advise you to open negotiations as soon as possible.”

Danni rolled her eyes. “Alright, alright,” she said. “I’ll try and piece my heart back together and move on to business negotiations, happy?”

Elizabeth shook her head and sighed. “If this doesn’t work out, it won’t be through lack of trying,” she mumbled to herself.

DANNI NEEDED A drink. Or five.

She left Elizabeth to go back to her office and went straight to the pub, knowing that the others would be there awaiting the outcome of her meeting. She walked in, strode up to the bar, threw some bills on the counter, and ordered beers for the entire pack.

It didn’t take long for Indi, Tommy, and Hector to close in on her, like wolves scenting blood, to pick up their pints.

“Alright,” Indi demanded, hopping onto a barstool. “Spill. What the hell happened in this mysterious meeting of yours?”

“You're wearing shoes,” Tommy pointed out. “I didn’t know you had any. Barely knew you had feet, actually.”

“What are you talking about? Of course I’ve got feet,” saidDanni.

“She almost didn’t though,” Hector said. “She ran after dad on a combine when she was about four. Could’ve lost her feet that day.”

“Aye, combines are dangerous beasts alright,” Tommy said, lifting his beer. “Not to be messed with.”

Indi was staring at them both incredulously. “Do you two not even have the slightest shred of curiosity?” she asked.

“Not enough to mess with a combine harvester,” Tommy said.

“Me neither,” said Hector with a shiver.

“For Christ’s sake,” Indi said. “Danni. The meeting. What happened?”

Danni took a long sip of her beer, stalling. “It’s complicated.”

“Everything’s complicated with you,” Tommy said. “It was easier when you weren’t married. Back then we only had to worry about sheep. Now there’s sheep and a woman.”

“Another dangerous combination,” put in Hector.

Indi put down her beer. “I swear to God, one more word from either of you two about combine harvesters, sheep, or anything that’s not to do with whatever this meeting is that Danni’s just had, and I will personally take you by the ear and escort you out of my pub. Understood?”

“It’s not your pub,” Tommy said. But he shut up as Hector elbowed him.

Danni sighed. “Alright, fine. You want the truth? The reason that I had you three chatting up the locals was to get an idea of the big plan, the grand scheme of things.”

“What?” asked Tommy.

“It’s simple. I got a local map, and every time one of you told me that so-and-so had sold their back field, or their farm, or their gardening patch, or whatever, I marked it on the map. It let me see what Marren already owned.”

“Alright,” said Hector. “I see where you’re going with that.”

“Then I just got lucky,” Danni went on. “My farm was bang slap in the middle of it all. In fact, there was a big swathe of land that he’d brought and then a hole in the middle of it, cutting thelot into two.”