Josie looked at Maude who shot her a warning glance, but Josie continued anyway. ‘I know we all said we believed Beth when she said she wasn’t a maneater, but I’m not so sure.’ She went on quickly as she saw a doubtful look cross Olivia’s face, ‘We know she had her sights set on Ralph from the moment she clapped eyes on him, and that you two only became friends because you …’ she sought the right words, ‘… embellished the truth, which got her off the hook. I reckon she spun you a yarn to make herself look better and we all fell for it.’

‘What are you saying?’ said Olivia, although she had a nasty feeling in the pit of her stomach that she knew exactly what her friend was driving at.

‘I’m saying, I think she tried to kiss Ralph or to win his favour after the inquest, and we all know how Ralph feels about women like that, so we know he’d have turned her down flat, which must be why she gets annoyed when we mention his name, and she doesn’t like being around you because she feels guilty.’

‘Perhaps you should ask Ralph if anything happened,’ said Maude. ‘Because you deserve to know if you’re lying with wolves.’

Olivia looked doubtful. ‘Ralph would have been crowing it from the rooftops if that had happened. He was always determined that I was trusting the wrong person, and I don’t think he’d miss an opportunity to let me know he’d been right all along.’

Josie shrugged. ‘Maybe so, but I can’t see the harm in asking.’

‘I can!’ said Olivia. ‘If Beth hasn’t done anything then how will that make me look?’

‘Like a concerned friend, who wants to know why her pal wants to leave Shirehampton,’ said Maude matter-of-factly.

‘Or are you worried we might have hit the nail on the head?’ asked Josie guardedly.

Olivia got to her feet. ‘Shan’t be a mo.’ She headed for the telephone. She felt rather uncomfortable at the thought of asking Ralph whether her friend had made any advances towards him, because if the answer was no, and she hoped that would be the case, then she would have to explain why she had ever suspected Beth of turning into a Judas, when she had been the one trying to convince Ralph of her friend’s good character.

She gave a small smile as she heard Ralph’s voice. ‘Hello, Liv! How’d Liverpool go?’

She felt a stab of conscience as she pictured Ted smiling down at her from the hotel window. ‘Good, but I’m not ringing about Liverpool, I’m phoning to ask if you know what’s up with Beth.’

There was a pause before he spoke. ‘Why, what’s she said?’