Essie’s gaze swept over her so intensely Liv felt like fingers were prodding her skin. “You remind me of someone,” the author said.

“Someone nice I hope.” Liv gulped.

Essie tossed her head. “Be seated,” she said. “References?”

Liv sat down. She took a few sheets out of her bag, glad she’d thought to bring them along.

Essie scrutinized them and her expression gave nothing away. “Why should I hire you? And don’t waffle on.”

Liv swallowed. “Because I’m hardworking, do a great job and make my own cleaning solutions.”

Essie pressed her hand to a yawn.

Liv tried to think quickly. She and Jake needed every penny, and Essie was her heroine. What could she say that wasn’t sycophantic or dull? “In addition to that, I’m discreet and quiet,” she said. “You’ll probably be working while I’m here, and I’ll be sensitive to that. When I was growing up, Georgia Rory was very important to me, helped me through some tough times in my childhood. I try to emulate her tenacity and attention to detail.”

Essie’s lips twitched ever so slightly. “Quite.” She handed the references back to Liv, and turned back to her laptop. She started to type again. “That is all.”

Liv sat there for a while not knowing what to do. Eventually she stood up and said, “Um, thank you.”

Jane met her by the front door. “How did it go?” she said.

Liv shook her head, puzzled. “I really have no idea.”

But that evening, the offer of a job had arrived in her inbox.

Even now, Liv was still astonished by Essie’s offer of employment.

When Anthony rejoined her on the bench, Liv snapped back to the present. “What happens now?” she asked him.

“We take a little time to pay our respects to Essie, then leave.”

She crumpled her brow. “But someone has got to say a few words.”

“Her instructions were clear, no fuss or faffing.”

“But that’s wrong. We can’t just let her go like this.” Liv had brought along her copy of The Moon on the Water, which she took from her bag. She’d bookmarked a favorite passage and leafed to it.

“What are you doing?” Anthony said, touching her wrist.

She shook his hand away and squeezed past him off the bench, not meeting his eyes. “I’m saying goodbye. Someone’s got to do it properly.” As she walked to the front of the room, she spoke to herself under her breath. “You didn’t say anything about banning prose, Essie.”

Taking a deep breath, Liv faced the rows of empty benches and visualized Essie at the back of the room, her dark lenses like bluebottle eyes, tossing her bobbed hair as if reluctantly granting her permission. Liv cleared her throat and started to read.