In the end, after feeling certain that Joel had been watching it with her, she said a silent au revoir and turned the car around to begin the drive home. She needed to call her mother to let her know that their little celebration was on, and she should text Leanne to invite her to join them. Already she was imagining champagne glasses sparkling, corks popping, friends toasting one another, and realizing how widely she was smiling, she broke into a happy laugh.

Chapter Ten

“I thought we were going to the cinema,” Graeme protested when Andee informed him of the evening’s change of plan.

“We can go tomorrow,” she promised, planting a kiss on his cheek as she passed him to get to the fridge with the groceries she’d brought in. “She’s a godsend, she really is. So talented and available and definitely very keen to buy the coach house. She’s interesting too, because I Googled her after I left the Heights and the only Claudia Winters that came up were definitely not her.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Why on earth did you Google her?”

She shrugged. “It’s the kind of thing I do, you know that.”

Of course he did. “And what are you deducing from your lack of findings?” he inquired with mock seriousness, taking the avocados she was passing and putting them in the fruit bowl.

Rolling her eyes at him, she said, “She’s definitely a professional. I saw her sketching and the way she articulated her ideas could only be done by an expert. So, what I’m deducing is that for some reason she’s changed her name—maybe to break with her old life.” She turned to face him and wasn’t surprised to find him regarding her with the expression he usually adopted when attempting to keep up with the way her mind worked.

“So now you’re thinking what?” he asked, amused. “That she’s in witness protection or something?”

With a smile she pulled a box of muesli from the bag to put aside for the pantry. “No, of course not,” she replied, before adding—not able to help herself—“When the Protected Persons Service—that’s its official title, by the way—sets someone up with a new identity they provide social media profiles, pages on search engines leading to past history, all sorts of stuff to give them cover. And Claudia doesn’t have any of that.” Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully as a few scenarios played out in her mind, but they were cut short by her mobile jingling the arrival of a text. It was from Leanne.

See you at Claudia’s. So glad she’s able to help. Xx