‘Forgive me, my dear, but I don’t quite understand what it is you want my opinion on.’

‘James was down in Salisbury a few weeks ago. He invited me out to dinner with him. We had a lovely evening.’

‘Ah, I see. You’re feeling guilty for being attracted to Stephen’s best friend. These things aren’t unheard of, you know. It’s only natural you should feel drawn to one another under the circumstances – sharing a common bond, so to speak.’

Clare blushed and shook her head. ‘No. I don’t think you do see, Margaret. James seems like a lovely man – though I admit I didn’t have much time for him when Stephen was alive. He was as shocked as I was when Stephen’s misadventures in property first came to light. When we had dinner the other evening he told me that he knew nothing about the investments Stephen was intending to make.’

‘Well, these emails certainly suggest that at the very least James has an exceedingly poor memory.’

Clare nodded. ‘But is that all it suggests, Margaret?’

‘You mean can you trust him? I don’t know, my dear. I’ve never met the man. Maybe he did know about the investments and he’s just too embarrassed to say so. He wouldn’t be the first man to try to rewrite their personal history in order to win the affections of an attractive young woman.’

Clare said, ‘No. I suppose not. But he’s been such a support since Stephen died. I honestly don’t know where I’d be without him.’

‘And if he’s been dealing with Stephen’s finances he’s obviously not after you for your money.’

Clare snorted. ‘No. I suppose that’s true. And just for the record, Margaret, I’ve never thought of James as anything other than a friend.’

‘Well, that at least makes things a little more straightforward – though it really is time you started to dip your toe back into the water, you know.’

‘Margaret!’

‘I know, my dear, but a ring binder full of context sheets won’t keep you warm at night.’ Clare laughed and the museum attendant at the end of the row coughed meaningfully. ‘Well, whatever the situation is, my advice would be to have a care. He may be a reformed sinner. But at the very least he suffers from a faulty memory.’ She returned the wad of papers to Clare. ‘And he appears to have shown something of a lack of moral fibre in not attempting to dissuade his best friend from making these investments.’

The two women turned and began to walk towards the entrance side by side. As they neared the front door, Clare turned to Margaret and asked nervously, ‘Can I ask you one more question, Margaret?’

Margaret’s brow furrowed with concern. ‘Of course – though I can’t guarantee that I have the answer to all of life’s conundrums.’