Leanne held back to take in the spectacle. Bryony had grabbed Claudia’s arm and was trying to insert herself into the discussions, pausing now and again with a perfect pout whenever a camera was aimed in her direction. Yvonne had given up trying to draw attention back to the podium and was gathering up the papers Claudia had discarded, while Harriet fielded questions from the reporters who couldn’t get close to Claudia. The hero of the hour had been backed into a corner, but she was growing in confidence. With the wave of a hand and the occasional pointing of a finger, she worked the semicircle of journalists as a conductor might an orchestra. She didn’t appear to notice when Bryony was forced out of the melee.

‘Who knew Claudia would become so popular?’ Leanne said. Her tone suggested she was talking to anyone who would listen, but the comment was directed at Claudia’s ousted friend.

Aware that she was in a room full of journalists, Bryony eyed Leanne with suspicion. ‘It’s nice to see her getting the recognition she deserves after such a testing time.’

‘Do you know her well?’

‘Sorry, which paper are you from?’

‘I’m with the Courier. Leanne Pitman.’

‘Ah, so you’re the one who finally persuaded her to tell all.’

‘That’s me. So you were saying you’re a close friend,’ Leanne prompted, knowing this wasn’t entirely true, but she would like to hear Bryony’s exaggerated version.

‘Yes, I’m giving her riding lessons at the moment. She needs to find time to relax, get out into the fresh air. You can tell just by looking at her that she has a huge weight on her shoulders. How she kept everything to herself for so long, I don’t know.’

‘Perhaps she was dealing with the loss of her baby,’ suggested Leanne.

Bryony placed a hand to her chest. ‘It was such a shame, for her, and poor Justin too. He’s desperate to be a father. Did she tell you they’ve been trying ever since the miscarriage?’ she asked, too eager to prove she was a trusted confidante to worry about breaking a confidence.

‘No, she never mentioned it. Presumably because she wanted to keep some things private,’ Leanne reminded her. Before Bryony could defend herself, Leanne attempted to catch her off guard. ‘What do you think Phillipa would make of this?’

‘Phillipa?’ Bryony asked, eyes widening. ‘She’d support our cause if she could. She cares a lot about this community.’

‘Have you spoken to her about it?’

‘No, not for a while.’

‘Then how do you know? Has she made a donation?’ Leanne felt heat pumping through her veins at the very thought. If Phillipa had dared to offer blood money …