‘And that’s why the new film has to bring it up to date,’ Posy told him.

‘Right. Yeah. That’s the hope.’ But he didn’t sound convinced.

‘Kit, what were you and Anton arguing about before lunch?’

‘We weren’t arguing,’ Kit said, too quickly. ‘Just … disagreeing.’

‘About?’

He sighed. ‘Look, Anton’s a great director. I’ve worked with him a few times now, and he always gets a good job done. It’s just … this curse.’

‘You think there really is one?’ Posy hadn’t taken him for the superstitious sort.

‘Not like that.’ He rolled his eyes, his smile amused. ‘We’ve been unlucky, that’s all. The car accident that took out Layla before filming, the fire, even the fraud investigation, they were all freak events. Unfortunate timing, that’s all.’

‘But?’ Posy pressed, sensing there was something more he wasn’t saying.

Kit pushed up from the bench and paced across the small grassed area inside the spiral. ‘The script. Someone leaked that, someone involved with the film. That wasn’t an accident.’

Posy thought about the script page in her bag, the photographs, and the person who’d be waiting for her at the folly. ‘No. I guess it wasn’t.’

‘I was trying to convince Anton he should be taking it a little more seriously, I guess. But he told me to stop worrying.’ Kit looked out of the spiral, towards the lawn they’d walked across. ‘Heads up. Detectives incoming.’

He managed to settle back on the bench next to her before they heard a loud, ‘Aha!’

Harry and Heather emerged into the centre of the spiral, both lifting their replica jewelled loupes to their eyes as they spied Posy and Kit sitting together.

In an instant, Kit transformed into another person – one she’d seen on screen a time or two before. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he pulled Posy close against him. His shirt was warm against her skin in the August sunshine.

‘Hey! Can’t a guy get a moment alone with his girl in this place?’ He didn’t quite wink at the detectives who’d discovered them, but he was playing to his audience.

‘I’m sorry, young man,’ Heather said, beaming broadly. ‘But a murder has been committed at the stables!’ She paused, and Posy gave an obligingly horrified gasp. ‘We’re going to have to ask you some questions.’

‘Of course,’ Posy replied, remembering her role in this game. ‘Anything we can do to help.’ That was what a murderer would say, right? They’d try to throw suspicion away from themselves by being as helpful as possible.

‘Where were you at the time of the murder?’ Harry asked, in a serious voice.

Posy was about to reply with the answer on her card, but Kit got there first.

‘Well, when was the murder committed?’ he asked.