‘I’ll admit, I wanted to be involved, and I did help out on occasion, but all the high-profile jobs were ring-fenced for those with more experience and better contacts. I can understand why. As I’m discovering for myself, public relations have to be handled carefully if you want to secure community buy-in.’

And Leanne had been amongst those who had bought into Phillipa’s scheming. She could visualise the front-page headline in the Courier when the theatre had opened a year ago. ‘The Empress Returns.’ There had been a close-up of Phillipa’s face beneath it. ‘Is it true she wanted to rename it as the Montgomery Theatre?’

When Claudia laughed, a tiny crumb from her biscuit trembled on her lip. ‘You shouldn’t believe all the rumours. Phillipa is an indomitable figure, but her ego isn’t quite that big. And despite what happened, I think her original intentions were honourable. She wanted to give something back to her community, and this has broken her.’

The crumb on Claudia’s lip was distracting, and Leanne wiped a finger across her own mouth. Claudia mirrored the move. With the offending crumb dislodged, Leanne asked, ‘Is she still in the South of France?’

‘I believe so.’

‘So much for helping with the investigation.’

‘She did stay for the evidential hearings,’ Claudia reminded her.

The hearings had taken place at the start of the public inquiry. Witnesses had included the incident commander and other officers from the emergency services who were there that night, as well as various expert witnesses. Representatives from the renovation company, Ronson Construction, had given evidence, as had the woman who was responsible for their appointment and so much more.

‘Will Phillipa be back before the findings are published?’

‘I don’t know. Like I said, we’re not close.’

‘But with all your charity work, you must be in contact with people who are.’

‘Setting up the Empress Memorial Fund has given me an appreciation of how much of an undertaking charity work can be. You can’t rely on goodwill alone. You have to reach out to people who can make things happen, and some of my contacts are closer to Phillipa than I am.’

Claudia’s voice had risen to a normal level, and her accent was suppressed once more. She couldn’t seem to decide which she wanted more, to be accepted as an average person on the street, or one of the elite. Leanne’s overall impression was that she simply wanted to be accepted, full stop.