Page 162 of Serenity Falls

It was taking all my willpower not to shove the whole lot off the table and watch it smash upon the floor.

I tried to compose myself. They must have sent Freya for a reason. And if she was really so well connected, maybe I should try to suffer her gracefully. She was merely a means to an end.

‘This is very impressive,’ Freya said.

‘Well, I do like to treat my guests well.’

She hung a bag over the back of the chair, and that’s when I had the first inkling that something was wrong. The bag. It wasn’t big enough to contain paperwork, which I would expect if this was a meeting about me being given a more official position.

‘Tea?’ I offered.

‘Thank you.’

I poured tea into the two cups.

‘Oh, do you have any sugar?’ Freya asked.

‘Of course.’

I turned back to the cupboards and found a pot of sugar cubes. I don’t take sugar myself. Silly to forget, really. I placed the sugar on the table and sat down. I reached for my tea and tensed. The teacups had moved.

I always placed them so that the handle was to the right of the guest because most people are right-handed. But now I could see that the handle on the cup in front of me was off centre, pointing slightly towards me. I raised my eyes.

‘Is something wrong, Ellen?’

She had tampered with the tea. Poison, perhaps. Did she really think I was so stupid?

‘You know,’ I said. ‘I always think that attention to detail is so important. It’s the little things that count.’

‘Oh, indeed.’

‘The decoration on the gingerbread, the icing on the cake, quite literally. Knowing just how much bleach to add to a solution of contact lens cleaner to cause discomfort but not blindness—’ I leaned forward and carefully swapped the teacups around. ‘And brewing the tea for just the right amount of time.’

I looked at Freya. I could see worry in those bloodshot eyes.

‘Now,’ I said meaningfully, ‘shall we enjoy our tea before we sign the paperwork?’

I added milk, raised my cup and took a sip. I gestured for my guest to do likewise.

‘Come on now. It really is a delicious cup of tea.’

I took another, larger sip, eyes gleaming. I admit, I was enjoying her discomfort.

‘Please, drink,’ I cajoled. ‘Or I’ll think you’re being rude … and I might decide to take what I know to someone else.’

Freya raised the cup with a trembling hand, brought it up to those pink lips … and then took a long sip, almost gulping it back. I frowned, or at least I tried to. My face felt odd. Like I hadn’t got full control of the muscles.

I lowered my own teacup, almost empty. But as I tried to rest it gently on the saucer it slipped from my hand with a clatter. I stared at the chipped china, and then I looked up.

‘I …’ My voice didn’t want to work properly. My whole body felt numb, my lips and tongue oddly swollen.

Freya smiled. ‘I didn’t switch the teacups, Ellen. But I moved them, so you’d think I had. I knew you would notice and swap them around. You’re a clever woman. And cautious. But not quite cautious enough.’

‘Urgh,’ I gasped.

‘It’s a paralytic. You will start to lose control of your limbs, your ability to swallow and breathe. Death will come by suffocation.’

I dragged myself to my feet and staggered to the sink. I tried to force my fingers down my throat to make myself sick, but my hands felt like lumps of clay. I reached out blindly. My left hand found the kettle. I pressed the switch down.