Page 61 of Friend of the Family

here. Surely the little madam wouldn’t be so brazen as to wear it.

‘Amy?’

The light clicked on and she froze, her hands curled around Josie’s things.

‘What . . . what are you doing?’

She stood up, trying to be dignified. ‘I could ask you the same thing.’

Josie frowned. ‘But this is my room. Why are you going through my stuff?’

‘As if you don’t know.’

‘I don’t, Amy. What are you looking for?’ She looked at her hands. ‘And why have you got my bra?’

Amy held it up like a trophy. ‘The bra I found in my bed, you mean?’

Josie looked utterly bewildered. ‘Your bed?’

There was another click, and the light in the corridor went on.

‘Josie?’ called a voice. David’s voice. ‘Are you up there? Have you seen Amy?’

‘She’s in here,’ shouted Josie, as if the two of them were suddenly complicit.

At once Amy was hit with the terrible knowledge of how this would look to David. She stepped forward, still holding Josie’s bra in front of her, but the girl stepped back. ‘Look, Josie, I know what’s been going on.’

Before Josie could answer, David appeared in the doorway.

‘Amy? What’s happening? Why are you in Josie’s room?’ He turned to the girl. ‘Josie?’

‘Sorry, Mr Parker,’ she said. ‘I . . . I came up to get something and I found her here in the dark. She was, well, going through my things.’

‘Amy?’

‘I was looking for the pendant.’

‘The pendant?’

‘The one you bought for her. She left her bra in our bed, David. Don’t try and deny it.’

‘What bra? What are you talking about?’

‘This!’ she shouted, holding it up. ‘It was hanging out the side of the bed.’

‘And you didn’t think to ask me about it first?’

‘Oh, so you’re admitting to it?’

‘No! For God’s sake, Amy!’ He strode over and pulled the clothes from her grip, then turned back to Josie. ‘Listen, I’m really sorry. Amy’s had a lot to drink, she’s been under a lot of pressure—’

‘NO! Don’t you dare try and wriggle out of it.’

‘Amy!’ he said sharply. ‘Not here. Come on, we’ll leave Josie alone and sort this out in the morning.’ He took her arm and began to lead her towards the door. She tried to pull away, but his grip was firm. ‘Sorry, Josie, we’ll see you tomorrow.’

Amy had expected him to drag her back to their room, but instead he took her out of the side door and across the terrace to the pool house: as far away from the pergola and the diners as possible. He closed the door behind them, the anger coming off him like heat.

‘Now do you want to tell me what the fuck that was all about?’