Page 81

“What stouts do you have on tap?”

Indi’s eyes widened. “Stout?”

“My mother always said it was good for the digestion,” Elizabeth said. “I’ll take a Murphy’s, if you have it.”

“Coming right up,” Indi said, looking impressed.

“You’ve wormed your way into Indi’s heart, at least,” Danni said. “But I didn’t really expect you to come slumming around here.”

Elizabeth ignored that. “I have to ask, have you spoken to Eleanor yet?”

Danni exhaled heavily. “No, not yet. I was just about to go up there.”

Elizabeth groaned. “Oh God.”

“What?”

“I’ve been in court all afternoon, I wasn’t able to get hold ofher. She had a meeting today with… Well, I can’t say. I just…” She growled in frustration. “Really, the two of you have put me in the most difficult of positions. Right in the middle. So much for your mysterious meeting having nothing to do with Eleanor. Lord, I shouldn’t have let myself get involved with all of this.”

“What’s going on?” Danni asked, confused.

Before Elizabeth could answer, her phone started to ring. She glanced down at it. “Thank heavens.” She turned to Danni. “Don’t you move a muscle, young lady,” she said, before striding away, phone at her ear.

***

Eleanor paced the stable, the dim light casting long shadows along the wooden beams. Sam the horse stood patiently, his large dark eyes watching her as she walked from one side of the building to the other, phone pressed to her ear.

The stable had been the one place she could think of to go. The one calm place. And Sam was still here, that had to mean something. Danni wouldn’t just disappear off and leave Sam.

But there was no one else here, and the empty house had left a gnawing sense of panic in her gut. She was starting to spiral, and she didn’t know what to do. She’d always been able to fix her mistakes before, but what if this time she couldn’t? What if this time there was no second chance?

She’d have to accept that, she supposed. Accept that there was no happy ending, no…

The phone clicked and the call connected.

“I came to the farm. Danni isn’t here. I don’t know what to do.”

“Nor?”

“I don’t know what to do,” Eleanor said again, still pacing. It was a cry for help to the one person she felt comfortable enough to call. “She’s gone, Elizabeth. Gone.”

There was noise over the phone line, something like the clinking of glasses, the sound of laughter. “Eleanor, take a deepbreath,” Elizabeth said.

Eleanor stopped still, closing her eyes, breathing. In and out, in and out.

“Alright, first, tell me, did you sell the house?”

“That’s what you’re interested in?” Eleanor said, her eyes flashing open. “I’m having a breakdown and you’re still being my solicitor?”

“No, wait, Nor, please, this is very, very important. Did you sell the house?”

“No,” Eleanor said, frustration mounting. “The offer was withdrawn.”

There was the sound of a long, drawn-out sigh of relief from the other end of the phone. “Thank God. Alright, I’m going to need you to come and meet me. Are you in a fit state to drive, or do I need to send a taxi?”

Eleanor took a breath. “No, no, I don’t think so, Elizabeth. I need to go home. I need to lick my wounds in peace.”

Elizabeth, clearly exasperated, lowered her voice. “No. We’re getting all of this sorted once and for all. I’m sick and tired of being in the middle of things.”