On a large teak coffee table sat a tray of biscuits, a sponge cake and a pot of tea. The cake looked home-made and Toni made a mental note to brush up on her baking skills, ready for the next time she hosted the club. She was not going to be outdone by an old trout like Marion.

‘Would you like a slice?’ Marion picked up the knife when she saw Toni looking at the cake.

‘Oh no. Not good for my figure.’ She perched on the edge of the large M&S sofa and watched as Marion cut herself a huge slice.

‘You’re missing out,’ Marion said, winking as she sank her teeth into the buttery sponge. Toni felt her stomach rumble.

‘No sign of any of the others yet?’ Toni struggled to hide her frustration.

‘Don’t look like it.’ Marion shrugged, putting the slice of cake on a floral china plate while looking up at the clock on the wall. ‘You’re early,’ she commented, brushing some crumbs off her trousers.

‘I prefer the term “prompt”,’ Toni said through a sarcastic grin.

The two of them sat in silence, with only the sound of the ticking clock for company, until five minutes and forty-seven seconds later when Marion’s doorbell chimed.

Quick as a flash, Marion was out of the armchair and dashing towards the front door. Alone in the room, Toni quickly hoovered up some of the cake crumbs that lay on the plate and sucked her fingers clean.

In the next room she could hear Marion welcoming Kim.

Kim had always lived in Hertfordshire before settling in Cambridge. She’d married a builder, Pete, who ran his own business, and they had twin daughters and one young son. Kim and her family lived on the very outskirts of Cambridge in an area called Chesterton, to the north-east of the town.

Kim and Toni had known each other for some time, and met when Toni worked temporarily as the receptionist at DW Fitness First. Kim had joined the gym soon after having her twins, telling herself that she’d get fit and lose her pregnancy belly. In reality, Kim was more at home in a cocktail bar than at the gym, so it wasn’t long before she had stopped her monthly subscription. The two women became friends after Toni had spotted a copy of a bestseller, that she was also reading, sticking out of Kim’s sports bag. The pair fell into a conversation about books and they were both pleased to have found a fellow reader who shared their passion. Soon after that, they arranged to go for coffee and had been friends ever since.