‘I wouldn’t be dealing with it, I’d just be getting information for you.’

‘But you’re so busy—’

‘And so are you. As I said, I have contacts – people I met under rather strange circumstances – that could make things quicker for me.’

‘That sounds incredibly shady!’

‘Well, it’s a bit shady but not incredibly. And not morally wrong, I promise.’

Although she was tempted, Helena still wasn’t sure. ‘The thing is, I’ve told you more than I’ve told anyone else—’

‘Because I was the first friend on hand. I know you don’t know me that well but I promise you can trust me. And I’d like to get this sorted out. I think your mum is wonderful and I’d love to help her. Wouldn’t it be great if Leo was carrying a heart to a transplant patient which was why he had to drive so fast?’

She couldn’t help smiling. ‘I don’t think they send vital body parts across the country in Beemers.’

He returned her smile. ‘OK, that’s a long shot but there could be a good reason – a benign reason – for his speeding and I’d really like to find it out for you.’

Helena rubbed her eyes to help her think and then remembered she’d put make-up on. ‘Damn,’ she muttered. ‘Now I look like a clown.’

‘The joy of being with a friend is that you don’t have to care what you look like,’ said Jago.

Helena wasn’t sure how to take this. He was right, of course, but somehow it did matter what she looked like. But it was too late now. ‘OK, Jago,’ she said, ‘I’ll take you up on your kind offer. And I’m really, really grateful.’

She liked Jago a lot and couldn’t help feeling it was almost a shame he was just a friend.

Chapter Eleven

Gilly was having trouble sleeping. She would fall asleep but then, about half an hour later, wake up and, having lost all her sleepiness, lie there for hours. What she was most annoyed about was that she would spend the time thinking about Leo. She told herself she was far too old to lose sleep over a man, particularly one who was very attentive. He emailed or texted almost every day.

It would have been easier if she could have talked about it to someone, but somehow she couldn’t. Her oldest friend was no longer local and it all felt so silly and girlish she didn’t feel she could talk about it on the phone. She also couldn’t forget that Helena had been a bit funny about him at lunch. She didn’t know why but her daughter wasn’t happy about her mother falling in love. Admittedly it was all quite fast but that was how these things happened! Surely Helena knew that?