She turned towards the far side of the house, past the gravel parking area that they had created but never used. Without lights from inside the house, the night was black and it settled around her like a dense fog.
But Ellie’s mind was elsewhere. There was one thing that nobody had mentioned tonight. She had been the one looking after Abbie today, so she’d seen the terrible state of her feet and her legs. What had happened? She couldn’t say anything, of course, but it was so strange. How had she got that way?
Ellie was abruptly jolted out of her reverie.
What was that?
She’d heard the soft crunch of gravel as if somebody had taken a step, and stopped. She stood still for a second and glanced over the shoulder, her gaze trying to bore a hole through the inky night.
Oh no. Not tonight. Please.
She turned back, and started to move more quickly. The sound of her footsteps drowned out any other noise, but just as she made it to the side door, she was sure she heard somebody whisper her name.
Ellie.
* * *
Fiona had made her way into the room that Ellie now called the library. It was quite a small room in relation to the others in the house, but it was cosy with an open fireplace and book-lined walls. Two wingback chairs were placed on either side of the fire, and there was a deep and comfortable looking window seat. She could imagine Ellie spending hours in here when she wasn’t run ragged by the twins.
She left the door slightly ajar, knowing perfectly well that she would be followed. She walked over to the farthest bookshelf from the door and pretended to browse the books. She didn’t have long to wait. The door opened slowly, and was quietly closed before either of them spoke.
‘I thought I might find you here. An interesting evening, wouldn’t you say?’
Fiona smiled. ‘A few tricky moments, I agree. I can’t help wondering what the sexy new neighbour made of it all. I quite like the look of him.’ She knew she was provoking him, but then that was the idea.
‘He’s not your type, Fiona. Far too straight. You need somebody who’s a bit wild, don’t you think?’
‘Like you, you mean? Maybe. Maybe not.’
He laughed and stroked her arm.
‘You look amazing tonight, but then you know that, don’t you?’
Fiona randomly pulled a book from the shelves so that she could at least appear to be reading it if somebody came in. She gave her admirer a coquettish smile.
‘You said that last night, too.’
The man gripped her arm, and gave her a serious look.
‘Speaking of last night, does Charles know that I was round?’
‘Of course not. Why on earth would I tell Charles?’
‘Well, I do have a perfectly valid reason to call, don’t I?’ he replied.
‘Not if you stay drinking with me until after midnight you don’t. I think that’s stretching it a bit. Why do you ask, anyway?’
He turned away from her and walked towards the window.
‘I’m going to have to say I was home by eleven. You do realise that, don’t you? I don’t think I passed any cameras, but if I admit to being out, I’ll have to say where I was. So can we keep it to ourselves, do you think?’
‘How will you get away with that? Surely you were missed?’
‘Trust me, it’s not an issue.’
Fiona shrugged. It was best if Charles didn’t know. She could do without an inquisition.
‘Well, Charles goes back to London on Monday morning, so perhaps I could give you a call sometime. When I feel like some company.’
He swivelled on his heel towards her.
‘How long are you going to keep me hanging on, Fiona? We’re not kids, are we? What’s the game?’
Fiona put the book back on the shelf and walked towards the door.
‘The game is called seduction, darling. And you’re not there yet.’
She opened the door, and left the room without a backward glance.
* * *
Max had taken Leo’s advice to leave Ellie in peace, and he had escaped to the garden. His eyes had become accustomed to the low lighting and he saw Fiona come around from the front of the house, her dress briefly illuminated by the lights on the drive. Still without shoes, she looked almost ethereal as she was backlit by the garden lamps.
Max noticed the blond hair and slight form of his friend as he appeared from the darker depths of the garden,