‘Again, it’s quite expensive,’ explained the ghost. ‘And I don’t mind wearing glasses. Appearances don’t interest me.’

‘Yes, I can tell.’

‘I think that what I look like is the least interesting thing about me.’

‘Oh no,’ said Beverley. ‘I’m sure there are many less interesting things about you than that. The surgery is a lot less painful than you might imagine. You hear the sound of the laser cutting through the cornea, of course, and there’s a smell of burning, but other than that it’s fine.’

‘Even still,’ said the ghost. ‘I don’t like anything coming near my eyes.’

‘Do you have a boyfriend?’

‘No.’

‘A girlfriend?’

‘No.’

‘You’re not a virgin, are you?’

The ghost frowned. ‘I’m not really sure what any of this has to do with the job,’ she said.

‘Nothing at all, really,’ said Beverley with a shrug. ‘I’m just making conversation, that’s all. I’m interested in people, you see. Well, you have to be when you’re a writer. I suppose you heard what happened to my last ghost?’

‘I heard something, yes, but to be honest it sounded a little fantastical.’

‘What did you hear?’

‘That she was eaten by a lion.’

Beverley nodded. ‘It’s partly true,’ she said. ‘She was on safari in Kenya and made the mistake of stepping out of her jeep in the middle of an unsafe area. She wandered a little too far from safety to capture photographs for her social media accounts and was in fact mauled to death by a lion, not eaten. Although I daresay it took a few, you know … chunks. By the time they got her to a hospital, however, her injuries were too great for her to be saved.’

‘How awful!’

‘It is awful, yes, and she hadn’t quite delivered the final draft of The Surgeon’s Broken Heart, so that took some fixing. But I thought I might use her dismemberment as a scene in my next novel, as a sort of homage. I assume that Philippa has explained to you how this all works?’

‘A little, but she said that you’d go into more detail.’

‘The thing is,’ said Beverley, leaning forward, ‘I’m an incredibly creative person. I always have been. Inspiration runs through my veins. And I absolutely adore literature. I read six or seven books a year, if you can believe it, which is probably why I’m one of the most popular writers in the country. But, you see, with my family responsibilities and philanthropic duties, I simply don’t have the time to actually write them myself. Which is where you come in.’

‘Of course,’ said the ghost.

‘Naturally, I insist upon remaining very hands on during the creative process. The stories are mine, so the hard work is already done for you. Really, all the ghost has to do is take my ideas and type them up. I suppose you could compare it to how Leonardo da Vinci took on assistants and pupils, told them what he wanted and then they just got on with it. I feel a great affinity to da Vinci, actually. He’s been a tremendous influence on my work.’