‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ Matty asked.

‘I’m fine.’

‘You’re a million miles away.’

Clover looked back at her. ‘I’m just trying to work out what to do . . . I don’t know what to do.’

Matty sighed. ‘Tell me about it.’

‘Have you heard from him?’ They both knew Clover meant Julian. They had agreed that Matty wouldn’t let him know they knew what he was doing – or had done – until they had worked out some kind of plan. Privately, Clover was worried they had heard the last of him anyway. They had all served their purpose. If Kit went through with the competition here, win or lose, he would only earn more headlines that would circle back to Amy’s allegations. Glory could never be his. Only Julian could keep winning.

‘No.’ Matty bit her lip. The longer the silence grew, the more it confirmed that she had been used. A pawn in Julian’s game.

‘We’ll have to tell Johnny. We can’t keep it from him.’

‘I know.’ Matty’s grip tightened around her cup as she grimly stared into it. ‘God, he’ll laugh his head off.’

‘Of course he won’t.’

‘Yes he will. He never liked Julian. He’ll think I’m such a tool for falling for him. He always says I have appalling taste in men and he’s right!’

Clover kept quiet. Voicing her thoughts with Johnny had only landed her in hot water with him; the last thing they needed was more arguments.

‘Did you see the others before they left?’ Matty asked, absently picking up a sugar cube with the mini tongs and dropping it into her tea. She didn’t take sugar in her tea.

‘Ari, briefly. I texted him, asking if he’d see me before he left.’

‘So you told him about Julian?’

Clover nodded. ‘He said he’ll wait for the right moment before telling Kit.’

‘Was he shocked?’

‘Stunned. Furious and stunned. I don’t think he could take it in that Kit had been used like that.’

Matty looked away sharply, her gaze on the lake. Not just on Kit. ‘Did you see Kit?’

‘No. He had breakfast in his room, apparently.’

‘He really is hiding out.’

‘Can you blame him? The world and its wife thinks he beats up women.’

Matty turned back to her. ‘Why didn’t you go up there with them?’ She took a sip of her tea and grimaced at the sweetness. ‘Eww.’

Clover didn’t reply immediately. If she was going to get any kind of perspective on this, she had to keep her distance from Kit. ‘I didn’t want to add to the entourage and bring any further attention to him,’ she said instead. ‘It’ll be distracting enough up there.’