Liv traced her fingers down her neck. Anthony had given her the impression he’d only worked for Essie for a few years. In the image, they looked more than just good friends.

Had she just found the real love of Essie’s life, and he’d been hiding in plain sight all along? Why would Essie drink too much and tell Matilda she couldn’t write without him, when Anthony was there on her doorstep? Maybe because he was now married to Harriet?

There seemed to be more to Anthony than met the eye.

It had been a couple of weeks since she left a message on Anthony’s voice mail, and she gave him a call. This time he picked up.

“Liv,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “How are you?”

“I’m fine. Have you been on holiday?”

“I’m in Bologna with Harriet.”

“That sounds lush.”

“Ah, not really. Her father had a heart attack and we traveled out to look after him. He’s just sleeping. Hold on, I’ll move to a different room.”

Liv felt guilty for calling. “Oh, gosh. I’m so sorry... Is he okay?”

“Things have been precarious but are looking a little brighter. I’ve arranged to work out here remotely until he improves some more. My colleagues will be looking after some of my other clients.” He let out a small sigh. “How are you? Is everything going okay?”

“It doesn’t really matter...”

“It’s fine, go ahead. It’s nice to talk to someone other than doctors.”

It didn’t feel right to ask him about Dubfest up front. “Well, I’ve been working hard on Essie’s novel. Things are going okay, but I’m stuck on Georgia’s hero.” As Liv said it, she wondered how on earth the solicitor could help with her writing, but he responded kindly.

“I took note of something Essie told me once,” he said. “If you meet something insurmountable, don’t try and fight it. It will only leave you with bruises. The trick is to outsmart it and do something it wouldn’t expect.”

Liv jotted it down. It was as if Anthony hung on to Essie’s words. She had no idea how to relate them to Book Twenty.

“They’ve proved helpful throughout my career,” Anthony added.

“It sounds like you’ve known her for a long time,” she said.

He didn’t speak for a while. “Ah, yes, I got your question on my voice mail asking how we met. Essie and I were friends once, a long time ago. We kept in touch sporadically over the years, and I eventually became her solicitor.”

Liv looked at the Dubfest photo again. Was she really looking at two close friends, or lovers? “Did you ever go to Croatia with Essie?” she said.

Anthony’s breathing grew shallower. “Not that I can recall,” he said a little curtly.