Not until the sound of the front door opening filled the old house did she realise they were back. She got to her feet, hoping desperately that Lee wasn’t still in the building somewhere. ‘Thank you so much for the coffee Sylvie. Now, I’d better get going.’ ‘Oh, that’s Mr Gerald returning, I’ll tell him you’re here.’ Sylvie scuttled out into the hallway. Marisa glanced frantically about her, realising there was no escape. She took a deep breath and followed the housekeeper towards the door. If Gerald was surprised to see her, he masked it well. ‘Marisa, my dear. I take it you’ve heard the news?’ He slipped the sunglasses off and placed them in the top pocket of his linen jacket. Gaia kept hers on despite the lack of natural light, like a victim of domestic violence, trying to hide a black eye.
