She dismissed the lawyers that Bill had engaged for her after they advised her to leave and she was promptly arrested in the full glare of publicity.

“Bill engineered that,” she said furiously. “For fuck’s sake, you’re supposed to give me good legal advice not conspire with him to plaster me all over the papers.”

The police were appalled and refused to interview her further without legal representation present so she told them they should send for her cousin Juliet Carey. She had no idea whether anyone would act on the suggestion. She waited.

Then, at some point, the door opened and Jules was there. Lizzie, who had held it all together the whole time, promptly burst into tears.

“Hey.” Jules grabbed her and gave her a fierce hug, sharp suit notwithstanding. “You’re released on bail pending further inquiries,” she said grimly, adding, “Come on, we’re leaving. Don’t say anything until we’re out of here.”

“I owe you,” Lizzie said, impatiently brushing her tears away as her cousin marched her down the brightly lit corridor towards the reception. “How on earth did you swing that?”

“I’ll tell you in the car,” Jules said. She stopped and gave Lizzie another hug. “Get a grip, Lizzie,” she added, not unkindly. “We’ll be out of here soon.”

“Sorry,” Lizzie sniffed. “It’s just... I felt pretty lonely, you know?”

“Yeah.” Jules’s mouth twisted. “You’ve had a crap time. But you’re not alone. You’ve got me now.” She gave Lizzie a grin. “You do know how expensive my legal fees are? I’m right out of your league.”

“I’ll take out another mortgage,” Lizzie said, smiling back, her spirits lifting. “Who put up the bail money? Bill, I suppose.” She sighed. “I hate feeling indebted to him.”

“You suppose wrong,” Jules said. She signed for Lizzie’s belongings at the front desk and pushed a pair of dark glasses onto her nose. “Arthur Robsart posted bail for you,” she said. “You can imagine what the press made of that, and the police, for that matter. It was Arthur who contacted me to let me know what was going on. Keep moving,” she added, as Lizzie stopped dead, staring at her. “We’ve got to get you out of here without too much hoopla.”

There was an enormous crowd of people outside. “Shit,” Jules grumbled, “how do the press always find out about these things? The car’s over here—” She steered Lizzie over to the kerb and flicked the automatic locks. “Hop in. You don’t get a limo anymore.”

Jules slid into the driver’s seat next to her and drew out into the traffic, scattering onlookers like pigeons. “Here’s the plan,” she said, checking the mirrors to make sure they were clear of the crowds. “You need a bath,” her nose wrinkled delicately, “but you’re going to have to wait until you get to The High. I don’t want to take you back to the flat. I’ve packed up all your stuff—” She gestured at the overflowing rear seat. “Didn’t know what you wanted so I brought everything. God, you have a lot of stuff.”