‘Right. Well, forgive me for stating the obvious, but this is not the sort of negative publicity we want associated with our brand, frankly,’ said Margaret. She sounded positively cold now. Angry with Bunny. ‘You should have told us these . . . these circumstances at the time of winning, because of this very eventuality. As it is, I’m afraid SlimmerYou no longer wants you to represent the company in further talks, or promotions of any kind. Our contract with you is hereby terminated, with immediate effect.’

Bunny let out a gulp. ‘But, Margaret, I—’

‘I’m sorry, but that’s just how it is,’ came the reply. ‘It’s a shame we have to part on these terms, but my job is to protect our brand. Let me know if you have any outstanding expenses to put through, otherwise . . . Well, otherwise this is goodbye.’

Bunny wanted to shout, to punch the wall behind her as the call ended. This was so unfair! It wasn’t so much the fact that Margaret had stopped her from doing any more talks – she didn’t want to do any more stupid talks; she was done with the wretched talks! – it was that the other woman had taken her ex-boyfriend’s side, just like the Gloucestershire press had, and – let’s face it – even her own family, who’d made very little effort to see Bunny while she’d been in York. Margaret might be from an older generation and not exactly touchy-feely, but she’d left Bunny feeling as if she was the one to blame for what had happened.

Tears burned in her eyes at the injustice of it all. What, so she should have let Mark beat her to death on the kitchen floor, should she? She wasn’t supposed to fight back and protect herself? Because some people definitely seemed to think that way. Her purse-lipped sister-in-law, who had banned her from seeing Chloe, her own niece, for one. And now Margaret, punishing Bunny by turfing her out of their slimming promotions, terrified of her diet programme becoming tainted by association. So much for understanding. So much for sisterhood!