She closed her eyes, opening them quickly and meeting his, only inches away. ‘Thanks to me? I don’t understand.’

Charlie flopped onto the sofa beside her. ‘Lucien Pleasant. Does the name ring a bell?’ When Molly gasped, he laughed. ‘When Jack told me about your trip to Semington and mentioned that you liked to go running early in the morning, I knew I could organise something effective.’

It was getting harder and harder to make sense of anything. She tried to focus. ‘I don’t understand. What do you mean effective?’

He scowled. ‘He was supposed to kill you, you stupid cow. I hired Pleasant to kill you.’

34

Molly looked at Charlie, speechless.

‘It was a simple plan, and it would have worked if I’d hired someone better than that young gigolo,’ Charlie said, frowning. ‘It should have been easy. All he needed to do was push you into the damn canal, maybe hold your head under for a while. Instead, he rang me to tell me he hadn’t been able to do it.’ Charlie’s top lip curled. ‘He said he’d tried the second morning, but you’d been startled and ran off before he could stop you.’ Reaching across, he picked up her hand and dropped it. ‘You should be sleepier,’ he muttered.

Molly remembered Pleasant shouting after her. The one word she’d caught, understand. Had he been trying to warn her, was that why he’d wanted to meet her? Maybe he’d discovered it was too big a leap from seducing vulnerable rich women to killing them.

She felt her skin crawl when Charlie picked up her hand and knew she was on dangerous ground when his words sounded frustrated. Her eyes drooping shut, her chin dropped onto her chest; she struggled to lift it and opened her eyes to stare at him. ‘There was something in those capsules you gave me, wasn’t there?’ Her words were slurred.

‘Jack said they made you sleepy. I told you I was going to make sure this time. You are the luckiest woman, but third time lucky is what I say.’

Third time. ‘It was you who pushed me under the car?’

‘It should have worked,’ Charlie growled, ‘and this would all be over.’

‘I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?’