Olivia nodded. ‘She flew out that same evening. Ordered herself a chauffeured limousine to the airport. I checked the airline website. Her flight to Nice landed safely. All we can do now is hope she didn’t parachute out on the way over.’

‘Tell Eliza about the lovely thankyou note she left,’ Maxie said.

Olivia was also smiling now. ‘We found an envelope addressed to me, after she and the driver had gone. Thrown onto the front steps. It was the receipt for her facial. She’d charged it back to the Montgomery. She did the same with the driver’s invoice. I didn’t care. I’d have paid him triple if I had to.’

Eliza could see the relief on her godmother’s face.

Olivia checked her watch then and apologised. She had to leave. ‘One problem goes, another arrives. Deirdre’s called an urgent meeting with Alex and Rory. She wants me there as well. Lawrence, too.’

‘Alex is up to his old tricks?’ Maxie asked. ‘Or don’t tell me, Rory’s been turning your paintings into jigsaw puzzles?’

‘I don’t know what it’s about.’ Olivia suddenly looked tired again. ‘All Deirdre would say is that she wants the four of us there.’

Olivia stood up. Before she left, she hugged Eliza again. Maxie reached for her hand and squeezed it. They didn’t need to say anything more. She could feel their love and understanding.

Eliza excused herself then too. She needed to go for a walk, she realised. A long walk, on her own.

She met Rory on her way out. He had something for her. Two calico bags: the jigsaw puzzles she and Sullivan had painted. She thanked him, promising to give Sullivan’s to him as soon as she could.

Alex was behind the reception desk. ‘Eliza! How was Ireland? Please don’t say green. Why Olivia gave our saintly general manager the privilege of your company there rather than me, I can’t imagine.’

‘Can’t you?’ Olivia appeared behind him. ‘The meeting’s in ten minutes, Alex. Be on time, please.’

‘Deirdre’s here for it too?’ he said as their lawyer came through the front door. ‘This is serious.’

Deirdre gave a curt nod. ‘See you upstairs, Alexander.’

As Eliza stepped outside, Lawrence was coming up the stairs. Less than forty-eight hours ago she’d been in his arms, crying. Kissing him. Now, here they were, greeting each other so formally.

He hesitated, as if he was about to say something.

Deirdre spoke from the front door. ‘Lawrence, a private word before the meeting, please?’

Eliza said goodnight and kept walking.

There was a small park four blocks from the Montgomery. She had just reached it when her phone sounded with a text message. It was Rose.

Up in middle of the night here. (Child with nightmares. Fast asleep now. Mother wide awake & making school lunches.) Feel like a chat in 30 mins or so??