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Hair dripping from the shower and still wearing my dressing gown, I took a pen and paper, sat at the kitchen table and decided to plan my day. Determined to forget Danny and Felix, I made a list of essential items I needed to pack for the trip to Paris. Though tired from working on lesson plans all night, it had served to distract me and gave me a couple of ideas for my own stories. I heard a tap on the door. ‘Danny,’ I whispered, punching the air in celebration.

‘Just a minute, I need to get changed,’ I shouted, then I ran upstairs without breathing, put on the new lycra leggings and vest top and scrunched my curls into a ponytail on top of my head. When passing the mirror, I noticed my legs were slimmer. I needed to work on my tummy and perhaps review my diet, but if I stood up straight and breathed in then all was well. Then I shook my head. ‘No, this is me!’ I said, relaxing my stomach and refusing to succumb to Amelia’s approach to dieting. Anyway, the sports gear did motivate me to run around the house and attempt a couple of stretches. Shocked that butterflies partied in my stomach in anticipation of seeing Danny again, I composed myself before opening the door.

Dressed in another crisp, white shirt and chinos, Felix stood in front of me, holding a bottle of champagne and a paper bag. ‘I knocked this time! I thought we’d do breakfast. I’ll make some scrambled eggs. Sit down and let me spoil you.’ He glided past me, retrieved a frying pan hanging up and stirred the eggs. ‘I hope you’ll accept my apology for being rather rude at the exhibition. Jemima insisted I make it up to you. You’ve made quite an impression on her.’

What did he want? It was best not to say anything because he needed to work harder than barging in with breakfast. And I missed the sight of Danny’s skinny, tanned legs and faded T-shirt and realised he would have been frying a big greasy breakfast.

Felix arranged smoked salmon on some of Ada’s best china with a chunk of lemon. He took a sharp knife from the block, and chopped some herbs and then sprinkled them on the plate from a great height. There was not one mark on his shirt from cooking. ‘Cut the bread, Maisie.’ He pointed to a large wholemeal loaf from the local bakers.

Knowing neither Jemima nor Amelia would have responded to the instruction, I continued to search for accommodation on some websites. Was it wise to accept food now I had seen my aunt’s notes? I pushed the plate away from me.

‘I am so sorry for getting annoyed with you. Please forgive me. I’d hate to fall out.’ The colour of his eyes reminded me of a deep rich chocolate, and he mesmerised me again. I refused to let a smile appear and tried to lift my head dramatically to shrug him off. ‘Felix, I’m busy at the moment, and going out for my daily run. I’m not hungry.’

‘Have you strained your neck?’ he asked, with concern when I kept my head facing the opposite direction.

‘No.’ I needed to work on having an attitude, so did not say anything at all. ‘ Silence is golden ’, I repeated in my head to stop myself from babbling.

‘Great idea to go jogging!’

I breathed in, stood up straight and placed one foot in front of the other to improve my silhouette. Come on, say something, I urged myself. ‘Charming,’ I muttered, brushing him off with the skill of a seven-year-old girl who had squabbled with a playmate.

‘Danny is a great personal trainer, and I can see you’ve been shopping at the same sports shop as him.’

I could not believe he dished out an insult with a smile that showcased his perfect teeth. ‘I’m not keen on Armani.’ And if I did have a good brand, I would not dare ruin it by exercising in it.

‘What about breakfast on the terrace?’ He sliced some of the wholemeal bread.

‘I’ve already eaten muesli, thanks. Help yourself,’ I tried to remove the jam from the side of my mouth without him noticing.

‘I see,’ said Felix, pointing at the unfinished jam on toast on the kitchen worktop. ‘I get the message. You’re still angry with me.’ He tossed an envelope on the kitchen table. ‘I hope this will make up for it. It’s a return ticket to Paris via Business Class. I have transferred the ticket to you as I must cancel to complete a commission for Danny’s mother. Jemima told me you were googling Paris when she was here. Your aunt loved it there.’

‘I’ve booked an economy ticket already.’ I sat back and folded my arms.

‘Cancel the other ticket and get a refund. I know she wanted you to experience Paris.’

Mouth open with shock, I assessed what to say. ‘What do you know about my aunt’s life in Paris?’ My hand shook as I moved my hair from my face. Surely, he wasn’t a murderer.

‘As you probably know, she lived there when she was young and had good friends there.’

‘Why did she want me to visit?’ The tone of my question was sharper than I hoped.

‘To experience her joys in life, I guess.’ He raised his eyebrow, removed a single rose from the bouquet of flowers and handed it to me. ‘ Pour vous, mademoiselle .’

My aunt labelled him hero and murderer so maybe she was unsure. There was no way I was going to fall for his charms. I heard myself snort and worried my teeth would be sticking out like a horse. Nerves jangled in my stomach, suppressing my appetite. ‘I’m very, very busy at the moment and need exercise to help me think. I don’t have time for chit chat.’ The Girls Just Wanna Have Fun ringtone of my phone rang as if to contradict me. Because it was Grant calling, I ended the call.

Felix didn’t comment as I would have done, but I got the impression he was assessing me and reminded me of my course tutor. The champagne bottle was opened in one movement without spilling a single drop.

We sipped the champagne and I relaxed. ‘I know my aunt wanted you to look after me,’ I blurted after the second glass of champagne.

This time his forehead puckered in an ugly pattern of lines, suggesting I had overstepped the mark. ‘What ever gave you that idea?’ He picked up a large slice of bread, loading it with scrambled egg and smoked salmon and surprised me when he crammed everything into his mouth. When he finished eating, he looked directly into my eyes and said, ‘I’ve got something to tell you.’

‘What?’ Could he hear my heart pounding?

‘I’ve seen Nora and Camellia snooping around the potting shed again.’

‘OK. I’ll keep an eye on them.’

‘Is everything OK, Maisie? You seem different?

I could not tell him I’d found a picture of him in the shed.

‘I’ve emailed my father about the room in his apartment, but he is at his retreat and is off grid at the moment.’ His phone beeped. ‘Yes, yes, Mrs Day, Danny told me what you want. I will complete the commission for your hotel in the next couple of weeks.’ Hand in the air, he waved and glided away from the conversation and through a gate between Tanglewood Cottage and his cottage, Meadow View. ‘Maisie, the plane ticket is on the kitchen table.’ Felix’s voice boomed but I could not see him. ‘Come over to my studio and I’ll follow up the accommodation with my father.’

*

When I had put everything away in the kitchen, I realised my large kitchen knife was missing. In a mad panic, I searched outside, moved everything on the kitchen worktop and surveyed every inch of floor. But it was nowhere to be found. My aunt’s annotations on the back of the photograph returned to my mind. Was he a murderer? Panic blocked my reasoning. I imagined him pointing a finger at Camellia and Nora to take the heat off him. Thank goodness, I’d refused the food.

My mobile phone rang, and I decided I needed to update my Girls Just Wanna Have Fun ringtone. It was juvenile and had to go. ‘Hello, Dad. How’re you?’ My voice sounded a bit flat.

‘I’m right as rain. I’ve got my pills and your mother is looking after me. Are you OK, love?’

Breathless with panic, I explained, ‘I found a file in Aunt Ada’s filing cabinet and ‘murderer’ was written on Felix’s photo. He came over to cook me breakfast and my knife is missing. I was having a bit of a stress when you called. I think I might be going a bit stir crazy.’

Dad laughed. ‘Felix is a bit smarmy but not a murderer, I’m sure. You’re spending too much time reading those mystery books. Your aunt seemed to like him so he must be OK.’

‘Yes - you’re right. He’s given me a return ticket to Paris. It’s business class too.’

There was a pause. ‘You haven’t known Felix two minutes and he’s jetting you off to Paris. Don’t fall for the charm, Maisie. You’re too trusting.’

‘Felix isn’t coming with me. He’s transferred his ticket to me because he has to finish an art commission for Danny’s mother.’ I knew Dad would not want me to go alone and would be worried. ‘Grant will probably come with me if I go. He’s practically part of the family. Don’t worry, Dad.’ I had no idea how I would explain Grant’s absence if I went to Paris without him. Travelling to Paris rather than Leeds did not seem right. ‘Dad, I won’t go if you’d rather I visited you. Just say the word.’

‘No, love, don’t be daft. I want you to have a holiday before real life starts, but I want you to be safe. Travelling alone isn’t great. Just look at what happened to our Ada.’ His voice cracked and there was a pause. ‘Anyway, your mother is calling me for breakfast. And she must be obeyed. Bye.’

An email arrived on my phone from Danny’s travel company and a wave of excitement rushed through me. Alas, it was one sentence from Danny to say he was busy and would be in touch when he could. Hope dissolved in a cloud around me. I had to forget about Danny who had not even asked how Dad was progressing. Maybe Danny was another one full of charm and empty promises. And anyway, his skinny legs just did not do it for me, but his eyes dazzled me with their bright shade of blue like a summer sky.