Jo shook her head. She didn’t want Libby to beat herself up. ‘Libby, if you hadn’t interfered, I wouldn’t be waiting for a call from one of the best agents in the industry, who, as far as I know, still wants to represent me. So please don’t feel bad about this.’

Libby nodded and Jo went back to waiting for her phone to ring with the explanation she desperately needed.

The call came at exactly 4 p.m. Even though she had been waiting for it, Jo still jumped when the shrill ring sounded out. Noah and Libby had gone back to work – and it was just Lorcan who sat with her and had kept her teacup well topped up.

When the phone rang, he smiled at her. ‘Good luck,’ he said. ‘I’m going to wait downstairs and give you the privacy you need to talk.’

While Jo wouldn’t have minded him staying by her side, she was touched by his thoughtfulness. That feeling of gratitude buoyed her as she answered the phone to hear a refined English accent on the other end.

‘Jo? This is Graham Westbury. Thank you for taking my call,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry this isn’t under the circumstances we both hoped for – but, first of all, I just want to let you know that offer for representation still stands.’

A tidal wave of relief washed over Jo and she muttered a ‘thank you very much’ before Graham continued talking.

‘As you may know, the Westbury Agency will no longer be representing Ewan McLachlan and I can let you know in confidence that Ewan has been dropped, with immediate effect, by his publishing house. I want to reassure you that your material has not been compromised in any way or disseminated widely. I, of course, have seen it and Ewan’s former editor received a synopsis, but it has not gone any further than that.’

Jo listened and tried to take in what Graham was telling her. She also tried to make sense of it, because while she knew Ewan’s career had imploded, she wasn’t entirely sure how her work factored into it.

‘Mr Westbury…’ she said.

‘Please, call me Graham,’ he answered.

‘Erm… Graham. I think I need you to talk me through this a bit. I have seen the reports, but I’m not aware of where I fit in the picture.’

‘Oh…’ he said. ‘You don’t know?’

‘I’m pretty sure I don’t,’ she said, now desperate to know every detail.

She heard Graham take a large intake of breath. ‘Well, as you know, your colleague Ms Quinn sent me a copy of your wonderful manuscript for consideration last week, and I read it, and loved it. That still stands. It’s a wonderfully original piece of work.’

Jo nodded at her phone, before muttering an ‘okay’ and waiting for whatever bomb was going to land next.