Page 28 of Courting Trouble

‘Right…’

‘I know I’m pushing my luck, but… will you come with me? To meet her?’

Cassie didn’t answer right away. Delilah could practically hear the internal protest. But then:

‘Fine. But I’m a statue. I sit there, and I don’t speak.’

Delilah smiled, the first real one all day. ‘Fair.’

She ended the call and let her head fall back against the wall.

Cassie was coming with her. And Rena was willing to talk to her.

Maybe this story wasn’t over yet.

Thirty

The house was ridiculous.

A white-pillared Georgian monstrosity, it was the kind of place where people were hired to wipe down the doorknobs.

Cassie parked halfway up the drive and turned off the engine. Delilah was unusually quiet beside her.

‘You ready?’ Cassie asked.

Delilah gave a tiny nod. She didn’t look ready. She looked like someone about to go into surgery.

The front door opened before they’d even reached the steps. A woman in soft beige cashmere greeted them. ‘Cassie and Delilah?’

They were led through a series of serene, echoing rooms until finally they reached the drawing room. Or sitting room. Or salon. Who knew. It had those deep armchairs no one ever sat in and a baby grand in the corner like an ornament.

Rena was already seated. She was a woman in her fifties with clear, sharp eyes and a silver streak through her short dark hair.

‘Thank you for coming,’ she said.

They all sat.

It wasn’t tense, exactly. But the vibe was rather heavy.

‘So, Cassie Thorne! I don’t think we’ve ever met before.’

‘Nope,’ Cassie agreed.

‘Well, I just want to tell you, I’m a fan.’

‘Oh?’ Cassie said, surprised.

‘Yes. You played a friend of mine once at Eastbourne? Mira Lee?’

Cassie sighed. ‘Yep.’

‘She said you were terrifying,’ Rena said with admiration.

Cassie had to laugh at that. But then she remembered why she was here, and it wasn’t to get her arse kissed. ‘Well, that was a while ago. So, Delilah here, she’s… a friend.’ Cassie was quite surprised to hear that word come out of her mouth, but it was out now. ‘And she…’

Rena turned to Delilah. ‘You wanted to know why I pulled out,’ she said, folding her hands. ‘And I think you deserve to know.’

Delilah nodded.