Page 77 of A Summer Scandal

‘Spectacular,’ she grinned, throwing Violet a wink as she passed on her way back inside.

‘She seems better at least,’ Keris smiled.

‘The Beau effect,’ Vi said.

Keris nodded, slanting her eyes toward Violet. ‘And you? Is anyone having a romantic effect on you lately?’

Vi looked somewhere over Keris’s shoulder. ‘I don’t have time for romance.’

‘Only a little bird in a turban and silk glasses might have mentioned something about someone getting jiggy with someone else in the sea, mentioning no names, and I wondered if you might know anything about it.’

A telltale flush shot up Vi’s neck. ‘What the hell happened to client confidentiality?’ she hissed. ‘If I’d paid any money I’d have her bloody struck off.’

‘Oh my God!’ Keris said, her eyes dancing. ‘I thought she was pissed!’

‘I don’t want to talk about it,’ Violet said, shutting her down. ‘It’s irrelevant.’

‘Because?’

‘Because his wife is back in town,’ Violet said, flat.

Keris huffed. ‘For how long? She’s been here a month, she’ll be off again soon enough.’

Violet’s eyes sparked. ‘What are you saying? That I’m supposed to wait around until he hasn’t got anyone better? I’m not that woman, Keris, not then and not now.’ Hot tears filled her eyes.

‘Hey,’ Keris said, gentle as she laid her hand on Violet’s shoulder. ‘I know that, okay? I didn’t mean to upset you.’

Vi shook her head, annoyed with herself rather than Keris. ‘I don’t know what’s the matter with me,’ she said. ‘I need to get a grip.’

‘You know what you need?’ Keris said, giving her shoulders a squeeze.

‘A slap?’

‘I can do that if you like,’ Keris said. ‘But I was thinking more along the lines of a glass of fizzy from the eight million bottles in the birdcage. They won’t miss one, surely.’

‘Maybe later, okay?’ Vi said, leaning against Keris. ‘If I start now I might not stop, and how’s that going to look?’

Keris glanced up towards the far end of the pier. ‘Oh shit,’ she said. ‘What’s she doing here?’

Vi wiped her eyes, not wanting to give Gladys or Ursula the satisfaction of seeing her crying. But it wasn’t either of those people. It was Hortensia Deville.

Hortensia saw Vi coming towards her along the pier and watched as she sat down on one of the love seats set into the iron sidings, hooking her brightly decorated walking stick over the rail.

‘Miss Deville,’ Vi said, painting on a smile. ‘I’ve been hoping to see you again.’

‘Have you?’ the older woman said, eyeing her beadily. ‘Why? I told you everything I knew when you called by.’

Vi frowned and sat down beside her on the bench, choosing not to mention the fact that Hortensia had been roaring drunk when they last met and hadn’t told her anything remotely meaningful.

‘I wanted to ask you what you meant when you spoke to me on our open day.’

Hortensia pursed her lips into a thin line. ‘I expect they’ve all dismissed me as a rambling old woman, told you to take everything I say with a pinch of salt.’

Violet didn’t answer, because it would be impolite to agree.

‘The jungle drums will have told you that I sold the pier to your grandparents,’ she said.

Vi nodded, twisting her fingers in her lap.

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