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‘Your brother is unhappy He feels—besmirched Slandered’

‘He was never supposed to know He shouldn’t have gone to Athens He should have gone to Devon, like he said I told hiive me the money I told him’ Her voice was still calm

He mirrored it back ‘But you omitted the little detail of why’

Her eyes flickered ‘It wasn’t relevant’

The tightening of his hands over the arain

‘Nor relevant to your uncle, either, I presume?

‘No’

‘Nor, of course—’ his voice was very calone, quite expressionless ‘—to me’

She gave a little shake of her head

‘No,’ she said

There was silence Only the sound of traffic in the street below And the thudding of her heart, beat by beat by beat

‘Yet you wanted, that money very badly,’ he said ‘So badly, you made a whore out of yourself’

She et paid The money was not for me I expect Jem has told you that’

‘Yes He was quite discursive on the subject You htest relevant, that I have handed him a cheque that will cover the entire restoration and refurbish costs for five years’

‘That’s very good of you’ Her voice was hollow