William Campbell took the Hewitts’ rental agreement back out of the drawer and tore it in two, before taking Mr Hewitt’s note and placing it in his safe. After all, that was the only thing that stood between him and that dratted boy’s return. When he had left Aigburth Drive earlier that morning his intentions had been to turf Craig and Edward Hewitt out on their ears with no notice, and he’d tell them why as well. However, as he neared the house it occurred to him that if Edward was as fond of, or indeed as in love with Olivia as she believed him to be, this could turn out to be a big mistake. If Edward saw this as an opportunity to get his foot in the door then William would never be rid of him, or his father. He crumpled up the two halves of the agreement and threw them into the fire which smouldered in the grate. It would be a very cold day in hell before William allowed the likes of Edward to become his son-in-law, and the very thought of introducing Craig to any guests churned his stomach. An image formed in his mind, of Craig and Edward sitting around his dining table on Christmas Day, drinking his port and eating his food. ‘Over my dead body,’ William muttered beneath his breath.

He knew from Olivia’s diary that the two had been meeting in secret, but he realised, too, that Edward must have been the boy he caught kissing Olivia by the koi pond that time. It had been this thought that had given him the idea of accusing Edward of stealing the carp. It wasn’t without precedence – as far as he was concerned, all people on low wages were thieves – and whilst he couldn’t prove Edward had taken the koi, Edward couldn’t prove he hadn’t, and he was damned sure that any reasonable person would believe him over one of his employees. If it went as far as court … he had dismissed the thought from his mind. How could someone like Edward afford to fight his employer in court? The mere thought was preposterous! Especially as William knew most of the magistrates by their Christian names. He cast his mind back to the moment he had pulled up outside the Hewitts’ and rapped a brief tattoo on the front door. He had kept the conversation with Craig brief and to the point. He had been surprised, maybe even a little disappointed that Craig had given in as easily as he had. He turned this thought over for a moment or so. Could the other man have suspected Olivia and Ted’s indiscretion? He cast the thought aside. Even if he had his suspicions, the outcome remained the same. Craig had assured William that he and Ted would be out of Liverpool by the end of the day, even writing the note which William dictated.