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‘Thanks but there’s no need. It’s not so busy now.’
‘Nonsense. It’s no trouble at all, and I’ve been so tied up with work, I haven’t seen you properly for ages.’
Crikey, she was keen. Before Rosie had managed to slip out from behind the stall, Katrina had shimmied into the small space and she pressed against him while Rosie squeezed past. There were lots of men around Heaven’s Cove who would welcome Katrina pressing her pneumatic body against them, and Liam was surprised that all he felt was vague irritation.
‘Rosie!’ Belinda’s panicked voice cut across the market hubbub. ‘Rosie, where are you?’
‘She’s here,’ called Liam, waving his arm in the air to attract Belinda’s attention. She pushed her way through the crowds and stood, panting, in front of them. ‘What on earth’s the matter?’
‘Guess who I just saw driving along the High Street?’ she puffed, before pausing expectantly. Were they expected to guess?
‘Lady Gaga?’ said Katrina, sounding bored.
‘Lady who?’
‘Gaga, she’s a singer and… oh, never mind.’ Katrina sat down heavily on the stool behind the cash box.
‘It was Charles and Cecilia Epping,’ declared Belinda. ‘In a big car, driving through Heaven’s Cove as clear as day, though I swear that man hasn’t set foot in the village for a decade. Oh, dear. I should have jumped in front of them with my sash on. They might have contributed to the village hall fund, though I doubt it.’
‘Which way were they heading?’ asked Rosie.
‘Towards Driftwood House, of course. That’s why I had to tell you. I think Charles and Cecilia Epping are on their way to your house… their house… your house.’
‘But they can’t. They’re not supposed to visit until Friday.’
Belinda held her palms up to the china-blue sky. ‘What did I tell you? The Eppings are a law unto themselves.’
Without another word, Rosie turned and started weaving her way through the crowds.
‘Do you want me to come with you? I don’t mind,’ yelled Belinda, but Rosie was already gone.
Katrina got to her feet and peered after Rosie. ‘Why is she in such a panic? And what did she mean, that the house isn’t ready for them yet? Tell me, Liam.’
But Liam was too busy thinking to answer, even though Katrina gave him her prettiest pout and blinked her big grey eyes at him.
‘Haven’t you heard?’ said Belinda. ‘Rosie is trying to persuade the Eppings to turn Driftwood House into a guesthouse.’
‘A guesthouse? Is that why there’s paint in her hair? And how the hell does someone like Rosie know Charles and Cecilia Epping anyway?’
The two women bent their heads together and carried on gossiping as Liam ran the apron that Rosie had just given him through his fingers. Belinda was right about the Eppings doing what they wanted, when they wanted. They wouldn’t care how much work Rosie had put into the house. As he’d warned her, she’d made a deal with the devil.
