took them off to the bathroom, without saying goodbye. She was cleaning her teeth when she heard the front door slam.
‘Bastard,’ she told the bathroom mirror.
Then she sat down on the loo and howled her eyes out. So after that she had to wash her face all over again and was even later for work. It was no consolation at all that nobody had even noticed she was missing, as she told Lottie later that evening.
‘That’s a tribute to your fabulous new system,’ Lottie said. ‘Everybody did what they had to do because it was all up on the screen for them. And you’d put it there. Result!’
Bella smiled reluctantly. ‘You mean I’ve just organised myself out of a job?’
‘So what? You always said it was temporary,’ said Lottie, refusing to sympathise. ‘Give Anthea another call.’
‘I keep texting her. She never gets back to me.’
‘Then go and sit in her office until she does the business.’
‘Yes, I was thinking I’d probably have to go round there,’ agreed Bella. ‘Boring.’
‘But necessary. Don’t worry, you’ll get a job in ecology soon. Now tell me all about Neill.’
Bella chose her words carefully. ‘He’s fine. Looking for a hobby, I think. His career’s going well but he wants to get out into the fresh air. He told me he’d been asking Finn for suggestions.’
‘Fund-raising,’ said Lottie at once. ‘I can use him. Give me his number.’ And, as a second thought, ‘Where is it he’s based?’
‘Dorset.’
Lottie was pleased. ‘Thought so. Devon would be better but Dorset will do. I’ve got just the thing for him. Teamwork, lots of physical exercise, fantastic scenery and free beer. And all for a good cause.’
She looked so pleased with herself that Bella hadn’t the heart to discourage her. She thought it sounded a bit too much like organised games for a man who worked all day in a school. But she handed over her brother’s phone number and listened with respect to Lottie selling it to him.
‘I’m looking for volunteers to row a Viking longship over Easter next year. For charity. Some mad designer has built an authentic boat. There’s a group already committed but they haven’t got enough oarsmen. They’ll train you but you have to be willing to put in the time. Good fun and it’s very educational.’
Clearly, Neill didn’t even struggle.
Lottie put the phone down and did a little victory dance round the kitchen. ‘Sold. One Viking warrior signed on the dotted line. I’ve already got three sponsors for various bits of it. And a celebrity, because Milo Crane will be over here making an action movie at Easter and he wants an opportunity to show off his muscles. And now I’m getting the Vikings. God, I’m good.’
‘Congratulations.’
Lottie stopped dancing and looked at Bella in concern. ‘You haven’t still got the hump about being late for work? Look, you’re young. You have a life. It happens. Don’t let some dentist in a temper spoil the night before.’
Bella stiffened. ‘What do you mean, the night before?’
Lottie didn’t answer for a minute. Then she said awkwardly, ‘Look, I wasn’t snooping, honest. But the sitting room was all higgledy-piggledy when I got in. So I just did a bit of tidying up. And I found—’ She sighed and rummaged behind the coffee-maker. ‘Look, here it is. I was going to leave it somewhere in your room. But – well, there’s no use pretending I haven’t seen it. Here.’ She thrust a piece of black silk ribbon into Bella’s hands.
At first Bella didn’t understand. Then she shook it out and saw what it was: two black fish-shapes joined by a thin band. Richard’s bow tie! She felt herself blushing until even her ears were hot.
‘Where did you find it?’
‘On the floor. It was under a cushion.’
‘Also on the floor?’
‘Yes.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t be. You pay half the rent. You’re entitled to throw the cushions around. And have anyone you want to stay the night.’
But Bella knew all about flat-sharing etiquette. ‘I’m really sorry, Lotts. I should have cleared it with you first. Only, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing, very late, you were away … I just didn’t think. But I should still have called.’
‘We’d all have got a nasty shock if I’d come home early and walked in on you,’ Lottie said with feeling. ‘Just let me know next time, OK?’
Bella didn’t say so, but she didn’t think that there was going to be a next time. Richard had not only gone off in a temper that morning, he hadn’t tried