Page 48 of The Cottage in the Highlands

As I hovered there, clutching the letter in my apprehensive, charged hands, I quickly came to the realisation Lily wasn’t even prepared to do that. I was certain I caught sight of a figure hovering behind her sitting room curtains, but if Lily was home, it soon became clear she wasn’t going to answer the door to me.

I lingered for a few moments more. “Lily,” I called out. “Mrs Cruickshank. I’m very sorry. If I had thought for one moment that those two cretins were capable of doing something like that…”

There was the faint flutter of towels drying on her washing line.

“Anyway, I have a letter to give to you.” I hesitated as I stared down at the delicate paper. Was I doing the right thing? I’d discovered a letter addressed to her inside Merry Wood. She would be imagining me prowling around with my journalistic hat on. She would wonder how I came to find it.

After a couple more moments of inwardly debating whether to tell Lily about the letter from Flynn Talbot, I knew I had to make a decision. She wouldn’t believe I found it by accident. She didn’t trust me now as it was.

I lingered at the letterbox.

Then I let out a long, low breath and set my shoulder bag down by my feet. I rummaged inside for my notebook and pen. I leant against one of Lily’s garden chairs and scribbled an IOU for £100 to Lily, then I tore another page out of my reporter’s notebook and dashed off a note:

Dear Mrs Cruickshank,

My sincere apologies again for what just happened.

I feel awful about it. I shall be making a formal complaint to my editor about the two individuals’ behaviour. In the meantime, please accept this IOU for £100 to put towards the cost of the damage of the back door of Merry Wood. Let me know the details, so that I can arrange transfer of the money.

I stress again that I shall be raising this incident with my editor as soon as I return to the office today.

Leonie Baxter.

I wrapped the note around the IOU and slipped it through the letterbox. Then I made my way back to my car, taking Flynn Talbot’s letter to Lily with me. I would have to decide what to do about the letter and what was the best way to return it to her.

The lonely figure of Lily Cruickshank was stationed behind her sitting room curtains, watching me leave.

“Leonie. A word please.”

Athena was resplendent in ruffled buttercup-yellow blouse and flared trousers. She jerked her immaculate head, indicating for me to follow her into her office.

The “thank Christ I’m not you” expressions of my magazine colleagues said it all.

I deposited my bag on top of my desk and, returning Orion’s supportive smile, did as I was told. I knew what this would be about. It must be to discuss the Esther Drew and Dante scenario.

No sooner had Athena’s frosted-glass office door glided shut than she swirled round to face me like a yellow tornado. “What is all this crap I hear about you, Esther, and Dante? She was on the verge of making a complaint.”

I blinked at her. “She was on the verge of complaining? Are you joking?”

Athena stared me down as she seated herself at her glossy desk, but I remained standing. “She and Dante gained entry to Merry Wood when they were expressly told not to.”

She attempted to frown, but her forehead remained immobile and smooth like an egg. “Merry Wood?”

“The house where we did the Avanti shoot this morning.”

“Oh yes. Of course. And?”

“And they forced their way in through the back door, so they could have sex in there.”

Athena processed this through narrowed eyes. “Are you sure?”

I stared across at her as she slid a gold pen backwards and forwards with her ringed fingers. “Well, they weren’t watering the house plants.”

When Athena delivered one of her infamous Darth Vader glowers, I cleared my throat.

“Absolutely. I saw them both with my own eyes. Why?”

“Because Esther maintains they just wanted to take a look around the house. She’s very interested in architecture.”