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She glanced at Rosie, who nodded. ‘Of course you can. We have a room available. Are you Lettie’s…?’
‘I’m her sister,’ said Daisy, looping her denim jacket over the coat stand. ‘I didn’t inherit the same crazy hair but we have loads of other things in common, don’t we, sis?’
‘Um.’ Lettie couldn’t think of many but she was too dumbfounded to comment. Daisy never chose to spend time alone with her. Why on earth would she suddenly turn up at Driftwood House? And why was she referring to her as ‘sis’?
‘Are you quite sure you’re not here with bad news?’
‘Of course I’m not.’ Daisy grinned at Rosie. ‘Honestly, what is my sister like? I surprise her and she goes all doom and gloom on me. You kept telling me how wonderful Heaven’s Cove was so I thought I’d come and have a look for myself.’
‘I’ll go and prepare the room for you,’ said Rosie, taking hold of Daisy’s knock-off Louis Vuitton suitcase that Lettie noticed was much larger than hers. Exactly how long was her sister planning on staying?
‘Thank you so much, and in the meantime my sister can show me the fabulous view.’ Daisy linked her arm through Lettie’s and almost dragged her through the open front door and out onto the cliff top. Her small car was parked on the grass. ‘Go on then. Show me the sights! I could do with a walk after bouncing up that cliff road. The potholes are shocking.’
A warm breeze ruffled their hair as Lettie led Daisy across the grass, towards the cliff edge.
‘Very nice!’ said Daisy, looking at the sea sparkling in the sunshine. ‘Is that a castle over there?’
‘It’s the ruins of one, yes. So why exactly are you here, Daisy?’
‘Honestly, anyone would think you weren’t pleased to see me.’ Daisy scowled.
‘Of course I’m pleased to see you but I still don’t understand why you’ve suddenly turned up.’
‘I was envious that you were enjoying a few days away and I thought you might be lonely, so I’ve come to join you for a little while. Plus, you haven’t been answering your phone.’
‘The signal around here is pretty rubbish,’ muttered Lettie, who’d enjoyed having her phone switched off. ‘Is Jason all right with you being here?’
Daisy sat down on the grass and shielded her eyes against the sun. ‘Of course. He said I could stay as long as I want.’
Lettie sat down as well, her heart sinking. She loved her sister, but Daisy appearing out of the blue like this was disconcerting. It was rather like being ambushed.
‘What about the kids?’
‘They’re fine. I’ve booked them onto a summer camp, seeing as you’re not around to help out and Mum’s a nightmare with them.’
Lettie sighed. She’d wondered how long it would be before everything was her fault.
‘What about your life coaching course? Won’t you get behind?’
‘We’re on a break. More to the point, what about your job?’
‘I decided it wasn’t the right job for me.’
‘Really?’
Daisy stared into Lettie’s eyes while she tried to remain calm and unflustered. She wasn’t about to launch into the truth while she was still unsure exactly why Daisy was here in the first place.
Daisy eyeballed her for a few more moments before breaking into a smile.
‘Honestly, Lettie. Don’t look so serious. You are pleased to see me, aren’t you? I’ll leave if you’d rather.’
‘Of course I wouldn’t rather you left,’ replied Lettie, with a familiar sense of being boxed into a corner by her sister.
‘Great. So! Tell me what you’ve found out about Iris.’
‘Not much, really. Though I—’
‘So the mystery of the letter remains,’ interrupted Daisy. ‘Mum told me about it.’ She suddenly jumped to her feet and put her hands on her hips. ‘God, the view from here really is amazing. Heaven’s Cove is so picturesque and absolutely teeny tiny, like a toy town. It’ll be great for some Insta posts. And look at all that water, and there’s a beach too!’ She moved closer to the edge of the cliff and looked over, making Lettie’s stomach churn. ‘It’s so pretty. Have you been swimming?’
