‘Yes, well, in a way. We’d discussed it on the phone. I had to come over for a meeting with a bottling plant in Birmingham, and as I’d got the initial papers from my lawyers regarding the ending of the marriage, and I knew he was back from the States …’ She paused. ‘I thought I’d call in and finalise a few things.’

‘Are you citing me?’ Maddy asked. It didn’t matter any more. No one could hurt her any more than she’d already hurt herself.

‘Good God, no.’ Caroline seemed to find the idea amusing. ‘Drew is divorcing me on a two-year separation basis. That way neither of us had to provide grounds.’

‘And will you go on financing Peapods?’

Caroline poured a third cup of tea from the fat teapot. ‘Actually, I never did.’

‘What?’

‘I lied.’ Caroline smiled her sleepy kitten smile. ‘I wanted to humiliate him. He was so sure of you, and you were so smitten. I wanted you to think he was weak and dependent. I was also pretty sure that you loved him enough not to let him lose the stables, so I lied.’

‘Jesus!’ Maddy could almost admire the cold calculation of it all. ‘So Drew owns Peapods?’

‘Not outright. His parents left him very little money, and that ramshackle place at Bonne Nuit costs more than it earns. Oh, I suppose it doesn’t matter now. Peapods is backed by Kit and Rosa Pedersen. Drew is in partnership with them. It’s their money, not mine.’

Maddy said nothing. She wanted to smack Caroline’s serene face. The conniving bitch. Anyway, it had worked. She’d handed him to Angie gift-wrapped. She sucked in her breath. ‘Did he mention me tonight?’

‘No. Only to say he hadn’t seen you much until today. He didn’t want to talk about you.’

That was it, then. Over. Finished. Caroline gave a ladylike yawn, stifling it with a slender hand. ‘I ought to be getting back or they’ll lock me out. I’ve booked into the Regency Park in Thatcham. Maybe next time I’m over I’ll be able to stay in the village. After all, I have made friends, and I do have an interest now.’ She took a deep breath. ‘I own Maynards Orchard.’

‘Bloody hell!’ Maddy couldn’t stop herself. ‘You bought it? Why?’

‘For Bronwyn, really.’ Caroline smiled. ‘I liked her, and all the other people who really cared about the village. I wanted to do what I could to halt the golf course. That was the first reason – the others came later.’

‘Others?’

‘Yes, well, in discussions with the Maynards, I realised that they could bulk supply me with apples and I could add to my range with apple wine, champagne, a sort of Channel Islands Calvados – and then there was Peter Knightley …’

Maddy shook her head. What the hell did Peter have to do with this?