Page 19 of On Circus Lane

Georgina catches sight of me and approaches with a wide smile. “Now, you must be Bee. Ivy’s spoken so much about you.”

“I’m sure some of it was libellous.”

She laughs. “I would certainly hope so. It’s lovely to meet you, anyway.”

“Yeah. Good to meet you, Bee,” Theo calls.

Their smiles are kind, and I relax. They seem like good people too.

Sal is hugging Tom, affectionately punching him in the stomach, which he accepts with a grin. She looks around. “Okay, are we ready?”

Everyone gives enthusiastic responses, and we set off with her in the lead.

“So, we’re staying in an apartment?” I venture to Ivy.

She rolls her eyes. “I’m going to start taping our conversations and playing them back to you on loudspeaker three times a day.” I snort and she gives me a crooked grin. “They’re luxury serviced apartments. Sal showed me pictures of the place. I think it used to be a bank, but I don’t know much more.” She looks at me as I shiver. “You’re going to be freezing in that jacket, Bee.”

I look down at my blue velvet jacket. It’s cut like a military coat with brass buttons, and I adore it. It makes my eyes look very blue, but it’s likely I’m going to have a body the same colour.

“And your fingers, lovely. It’s fucking freezing.”

“Fashion takes no prisoners,” I say briskly. “Come on. I’ll warm up as we walk.”

Unfortunately, the wind is bitter, howling down the road and poking icy fingers at any exposed skin. I distract myself by looking at the nearby buildings, and when Tom comes to walk next to me, I get a probably unwise thrill.

“This is the Royal Mile,” he says, checking his phone. “It connects Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace.”

I look up at the towering buildings of grey-gold stone with Georgian-barred windows. “It’s lovely. The buildings are so tall here.”

“They’re mostly the old tenement buildings.” He puts a hand on my wrist, steering me around a caricature artist who’s set up on the pavement and surrounded by a crowd.

“Thank you,” I say, flustered, and he salutes me.

Freddy calls his name, and Tom hangs back to speak to him. I walk onward, still feeling the heat of his fingers on my wrist.

Ahead of me, Sal slows down, gesturing for us to follow her between two buildings. I look around with interest as we enter a small courtyard. It’s quiet, with only the muffled rattle of the trams filling the air. Old buildings surround us and Sal moves towards the entrance of one. On either side of the doors are bay trees in big pots filled with winter roses. Fairy lights are strung in shimmering strands over the entrance and dance in the wind.

We go inside and find ourselves in a funky lobby, with bright colours on the walls, abstract art, and comfy-looking sofas dotted around. It’s an oasis of warmth, and I stand gratefully next to a radiator while Sal checks us in.

She comes back to us holding a raft of cards. “Okay, we have two serviced apartments on different floors. They’re each three-bedroomed. I’d suggest me, Ivy, Georgina, and Theo share one. That way all the girls can be together.”

“And me,” Theo says wryly. “Oh,joy.”

Georgina shoves him. “You’ll love it.”

“I’m with you. Of course, I will.” He smiles affectionately at her.

Ivy edges closer to me and whispers, “It’s amazing that they had a drop-down fight a few minutes ago about which cheese is nicest on toast.”

I don’t reply. My heart is beating fast at the knowledge that I’m going to be living in close quarters with Tom for the duration of the holiday.

Sal carries on speaking. “So, that leaves Jack and Steven, Freddy and Tom, and you in the other apartment, Bee. Is that okay, everyone?

Everyone choruses agreement. “Is that okay with you, Ives?” I ask quietly. “You wanted me here because you were nervous about going it alone with the girls.”

“I wanted you here because we’re best friends,” she corrects me.

“Yeah, but my point still stands.”

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