might go mad.’
Marina laughed. ‘I’m sure no one can tell you’re anything less than fascinated about their products. Talking of the advertisers, I’m going to a meeting about the fundraiser tomorrow night. We’re finalising the list of auction lots so we can advertise them online and whip up interest. I don’t want to hassle you but how are you getting on with potential prizes? Any luck with your London contacts yet?’
‘Oh, fine. It’s all in hand.’ Tiff waved airily. ‘I’m waiting for a few people to get back to me, that’s all.’
‘Great. It’s wonderful that you managed to get the fishing trip and bikini wax, but if you could find something that would create more of a buzz, that would be amazing.’
‘Like I say, it’s all sorted.’ Tiff’s smile was confident.
‘I’m sure it is. In fact, Dirk told me you had the situation in hand.’
Tiff’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Dirk? When? What exactly did he say?’
‘Not a lot …’ Judging by Tiff’s shocked expression, Marina wished she hadn’t mentioned her fleeting chat with Dirk outside the lifeboat station earlier that day.
‘Well, he obviously said something.’ Tiff’s voice turned silky, putting Marina on her guard. She’d seen her cousin in defensive mode, like a cobra about to strike. She was glad she’d never been on the receiving end of a Tiff Trescott exposé.
‘I can’t recall his exact words,’ Marina said carefully. ‘And I wasn’t recording them,’ she quipped, trying to lighten the atmosphere, but Tiff had folded her arms in expectation. ‘I mentioned the meeting and he said: “Oh good, I’m looking forward to hearing about the amazing auction lots. I hear Tiff is all over them.” Or something like that.’
Tiff let out a snort. ‘I bet he is.’
‘Look,’ Marina said soothingly. ‘If you’re worried about letting us down, you won’t be. We’re already very grateful for the prizes you’ve got. If there’s anything else you can do, well, that’s a bonus. Don’t let Dirk wind you up—’
‘Ha! Wind me up? I don’t care what he thinks.’
Marina felt bad about mentioning the prizes again but she did have to report back to the committee so they could add the big lot to the web page and programme. There was plenty of time, of course, it would only take minutes to add the items to the social media, but the sooner the better in terms of getting the word out. She had wondered what Tiff was working on … a signed cricket bat from the World Cup winning team, perhaps? Tiff had said she’d interviewed one of their wives the previous year and they got on like a house on fire. Or a signed copy of JK Rowling’s new novel? Tiff had contacts in publishing … Or maybe a London theatre weekend? Tiff had been to premieres in the past.
Hmm. Maybe those were all a step too far. It wasn’t fair of her to hope for so much. She resolved to manage the organisers’ expectations that evening, and have a discreet word with Dirk, if she could do it without Tiff getting to hear about it. Otherwise, her life wouldn’t be worth living. One thing was for sure, there was definitely an ‘atmosphere’ between her cousin and Dirk. Marina wondered if those two had bumped into each other more often than Tiff let on.
Tiff made a pot of tea and joined Marina in the sitting room. She was amused to find that instead of her usual mug of builder’s, Tiff brought a tray with china cup and saucers, and a plate with a slice of lemon on it. She felt she’d gone to tea with the queen and that brought a smile to her face.
Tiff poured the tea into the cups, which Marina and Nate had received as a wedding present from his great aunt. ‘Erm, I hope it’s OK for me to mention this, but how are you feeling about the anniversary of Nate’s disappearance coming up this summer?’
‘Mm, mixed feelings really. It still hurts, but I’ve prepared myself for this for a long time now and it does mean I can get a lot of legal ends tied up. Actually, my solicitor has been in touch and asked if I’m ready to set in motion the legal process to declare him legally dead.’ Marina could say the word out loud now. She’d made herself say it out loud if only to inoculate herself against the impact of the word.
‘I think that’s very brave. And very sensible.’
‘I admit that I couldn’t bear