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‘…with advice Knohat I mean?’

‘No, I don’t knohat you mean’ Holly’s frown deepened ‘You really should see a doctor Your voice is so strange, it’s, well, almost masculine It’s kind of spooky’

‘Holly About the book—’

‘Belinda’ Holly pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath ‘Look, it isn’t that I don’t appreciate your efforts It’s just that I’ve had a long day It snowed up here, and—and you were right, I shouldn’t have come at all, and—’

‘A recipe on one page, a bit of advice on the other,’ Belinda said

Holly sighed ‘What kind of advice?’ she said wearily, because it was becoet Belinda off the phone until she heard her out

‘Are you sure you can hear et all of this’

‘Yes Actually, for soh just fine’

‘Good As for the sort of advice you could offer—how’s this? You’d ask your readers, “Is your husband working longer hours than you think he should? Is he less appreciative of the things you do around the house than you think he should be?”’

‘Honestly, Belinda…’

‘“If he is, perhaps you need to consider things frorew up rich, he probably feels guilty about taking you away from that lifestyle”’

Holly got off the bed ‘Belinda? What is this?’

‘“Maybe he’s overco harder than he should to try and give you the things he thinks you deserve”’

‘Wait a minute Wait just a darned minute! Who is this?’

‘“Maybe, when he sees you sewing curtains, and cooking haer in a zillion different ways, he sees only that he’s condeery”’

‘Who is this? I know it isn’t Belin—’

‘Aye-up, maybe he’s behaved badly, Holly, but if he has, it’s only because that boy loves you with all his heart’

There was a gentle click, and then a buzz, and Belinda’s voice—soone

Holly stared at the phone and then, very carefully, put it down Who could have known so much about her? About Nick?

Her throat constricted