Maddy, wanting to be alone just for a moment to let this awful truth sink in, rounded the lilacs and came face to face with Diana.

‘Maddy! Darling!’ Diana’s brittle smile didn’t reach her eyes. ‘Lovely to see you!’

Maddy gave an inward groan. Gareth looked at her down his long nose and grinned. He’d obviously had more than one helping of the punch. He was wearing a sprig of lilac in his buttonhole that reached just under his ear. Mitchell D’Arcy, completely overdone in heavy jewellery for such an informal occasion, gave a small frown and then a toothpaste adman’s dream of a smile.

‘Marnie! Nice to see you again.’

Maddy twitched her face in reply.

Diana put an elegant, scarlet-nailed hand on her arm, ‘A little word, Maddy …’

Oh, shit, Maddy thought, she’s going to sack me. Even with the new contract at Peapods she couldn’t afford to lose Diana’s business. Shadows ran at a profit – just – but Diana was one of her best customers. She was damned if she was going to beg Peter and Stacey if she could scrub the floor at the Manor.

‘In private, Maddy.’ The scarlet nails had dug their pointed tips into Maddy’s arm. Diana threw a laugh carelessly across her shoulder. ‘Won’t be a moment, boys.’

Gareth beamed. Mitchell looked a little puzzled. Diana practically dragged Maddy back into the bushes.

‘I think we have to say this now, don’t we?’ Diana’s teeth were almost as white as Mitchell’s. They must share the same. dentist, Maddy thought. ‘What do you want from me?’

‘Nothing … oh, well, Bronwyn did ask me to speak to you about Goddards Spinney. To see if you’d reconsider your decision to sell it to Peter and Jeff Henley for the golf course, but I’m sure we can talk about it some other time.’

‘No, we can’t.’ Diana’s eyes were like flint. ‘We’ll discuss this now. Once and for all. I don’t want you skulking round my house – knowing what you know – threatening to spring it on me.’

‘You mean you still want me to work for you?’

‘Of course I do,’ Diana snapped. ‘You’re a damn good cleaner. Anyway, if I got rid of you I’d have to dredge up some excuse why – and I couldn’t. And we’ve always been friends.’ She tried to smile. It was a pretty good attempt under the circumstances. ‘Maddy, you know better than anyone just how, er, persuasive Peter can be. We were discussing the golf course and we’ – she gave a little laugh – ‘just got carried away. Well, he’s a very attractive man and he seems to find me irresistible. It was completely impromptu.’