She went to knock on the interconnecting door and Iris answered in a pair of linen trousers and a blouse.

‘Oh, hello, love. Are you about to get changed?’

‘I am changed,’ said Kate.

‘Of course you are,’ said Iris quickly. ‘Don’t mind me. I haven’t got my glasses on.’

‘Are we ready?’ asked Kate.

‘Lead the way.’

They had a different taxi driver this time, which added to Kate’s nerves. She’d grown attached to Magic in the short time they’d known him, and she’d automatically expected him to be there again. It threw her when he wasn’t.

The driver took them to The Valley, the island’s tiny capital, where on the outskirts lay Crocus Hill, home to Government House. He dropped them off outside the building and they smoothed trousers and straightened blouses. As they walked up the white-stone steps, a smiling security guard held open the door. They stepped into an air-conditioned room dominated by a large curved wooden desk. On the top was a huge vase of frangipani in pink and yellow, their sweet tropical-fruit scent permeating the room. A uniformed lady stood up behind the desk. ‘Good morning. How can I help you, ladies?’

‘Ah, hello,’ started Kate. ‘I’m here with my . . . mother,’ she said, indicating Iris, and was relieved to see Iris nod along, ‘and we’re looking to register our company here in this beautiful island. We have a few questions, though, and we would like to speak to the Registrar of Companies if he or she were available?’

‘Do you have an appointment?’

‘Not exactly . . . no. We were kind of hoping to be able to pop in.’

‘He’s very busy . . .’

‘Of course! We realize he must be an extremely busy man but still . . . we were hopeful? It would only be for a few minutes.’

The receptionist deliberated for a bit and then said, ‘I’ll try his line. Would you like to take a seat?’

Iris and Kate each took a chair while the receptionist spoke on the phone. They tried to listen in but were too far away to make out what she was saying.

‘Maybe he’s looking for a nice distraction from work first thing on a Monday morning,’ said Iris, optimistically.

‘Maybe first thing on a Monday is just too annoying a time,’ said Kate. ‘We should have waited until after lunch when his belly will be full and he’ll be in a good mood.’

The receptionist, still on the phone, looked over at them at that point and Iris smiled at her. ‘Look confident,’ she whispered to Kate under her breath.

The phone was replaced, and the receptionist walked over to them. ‘He’ll see you now,’ she said, and Kate’s heart leapt. ‘If you just go down this corridor, it’s the third door on the left,’ she said, pointing them in the right direction.

Kate and Iris walked down the wide, carpeted corridor with its bright cream walls and large, white-painted doors until they got to the one that had a brass nameplate with the words ‘Registrar of Companies’ on it.