It Started with a Secret Read online

  Anyway, it was nice to be offered a temporary place to stay by Kit’s mum, and there was always her own Granny Ivy, who would be glad to put her up if she was really stuck. But her grandmother was hosting friends from Canada for the next month, which meant her cottage was full. Lainey knew that what she really needed was to find something more permanent for herself and a job to go with it.

  Reaching Paris at last, they carted their cases on the Métro to Bercy in the 12th arrondissement, then boarded the bus that would, nine hours from now, deposit them at Victoria Coach Station in central London.

  Right, time to take another look at the jobs website she’d bookmarked earlier.

  Hooray for the magic of Wi-Fi.

  For the next hour, Lainey pored over the many and varied vacancies advertised online. Next to her, Kit finally unwrapped his packed lunch and began to eat.

  “Look, there’s a parrot up there in that tree!” She pointed out of the window.

  Kit said equably, “There could be a pterodactyl out there, and I still wouldn’t look if it meant taking my eyes off my food. Not while I’m sitting next to you anyway.”

  Lainey blew him a kiss—he knew her so well—and turned her attention back to the situations vacant, preferably with living accommodation included. There was a crisply worded ad for a housekeeping assistant required to join an existing team on a private Highland estate in Sutherland. A hardworking gardener was needed for a large country house in North Wales…hmm, gardening definitely wasn’t her forte. A companion was required for an elderly lady in Kensington; that might be promising… Oh, fluency in German essential. The only German she knew was Sprechen Sie Englisch? Which probably wouldn’t get her the job.

  “You’re sighing,” Kit remarked ten minutes later. “You sound like a walrus.”

  Well, thanks!

  “They should add video clips to these adverts, so you can see what kind of a situation you’d be getting yourself into. There’s one here for a mother’s helper. It says you have to be calm and efficient, and look after four small boys who are rambunctious but adorable.” Lainey pulled a face. “Does that mean they’re actually obnoxious monsters, completely out of control? A bit of secret camera work would come in handy.”

  But when she emailed the agency, they replied within minutes to say the job was no longer available.

  The next ad required someone to work as a cleaner and companion for an elderly ex-academic gentleman who lived in Durham. The successful candidate, it stated, must have plenty of patience and a thick skin, and be capable of engaging in prolonged periods of vigorous political debate.

  Maybe not.

  Then again, who was to say that any of these people would even want to employ her? To be on the safe side, she should probably be applying for every job on the list to see if anyone was remotely interested.

  As soon as she started reading the next ad, however, she knew that this was the job she wanted.

  Just typical.

  “Oh God, why did I even read this one?” Puffing out her cheeks in exasperation, she passed the phone over to Kit. “It’s perfect.”

  When he’d finished reading, Kit said, “Sounds great. Go for it.”

  Lainey knew it was nothing but a fantasy, but she really felt as if she could picture the house by the sea and the woman who had placed the ad. She took back her phone and said, “I can’t. They’re advertising for a couple.”

  He grinned. “If you get down on one knee and ask really nicely, I’d probably agree to marry you.”

  * * *

  Two days later, they left Kit’s mother’s flat in Wimbledon and traveled by train down to Cornwall. By midafternoon, they’d almost reached St. Carys.

  “Put it away,” Kit ordered.

  Lainey couldn’t help herself. Sometimes she could take or leave Facebook, but now wasn’t one of those occasions. Anton had arrived in Saint-Tropez and was evidently wasting no time in moving on. He’d just posted a slew of photos of himself settling nicely into his new life on the Côte d’Azur. Fifty-seven photos, in fact, and she’d felt compelled to scroll through the lot of them. There was Anton on the deck of a superyacht, sitting outside a bar on the seafront, taking selfies on the beach, looking happy and handsome, for all the world as if he wasn’t missing her at all. But that was because he wasn’t missing her, was he? And think of all the stunning bikini-clad girls down there who’d be only too delighted to rub sunscreen into those beautiful brown shoulders…

  “Stop it.” This time Kit took the phone away from her, switched it off, and dropped it into his shirt pocket.

  “I love it when you’re being masterful.”

  He studied her face. “Are you really missing him?”

  Was she? Lainey considered the question and exhaled. “I just wish he weren’t having quite such a brilliant time, that’s all.”

  Basically, her pride was bruised. Then again, at least she was used to it. “Look, I haven’t said this before, but the rest of us thought Anton was a bit of a smug git.”

  Deep down, Lainey knew Kit was right. But it was always hurtful hearing someone else say that kind of thing; it felt as if they were criticizing you for being stupid enough to have gotten involved with someone like that in the first place.

  “I mean, he had a pretty high opinion of himself,” Kit continued. “Thought he was God’s gift.”

  “Yes, yes, all right.”

  “All I’m trying to say is, he’s not worth moping over. You could do so much better.”

  “Except I’m not going to be doing any better because I’m not planning on doing anything at all. Man-free zone, remember?” With raised arms and pointy index fingers, Lainey drew a bubble around herself. “And I’m not moping anyway. Just because I’ve been flicking through a few photos doesn’t mean—”

  “Why don’t you stop arguing,” Kit interjected, “and start paying attention instead? You haven’t even looked out of the window yet.”

  She followed the direction of his nod and did a double take. What felt like just a few minutes ago, the train had been rattling through the countryside, surrounded on all sides by rolling fields and verdant countryside. But while she’d been hunched over her phone, busy scrutinizing every last detail in Anton’s photos, they’d reached the coast. There before them was the sea, glittering in the sunlight and bordered by a sweeping crescent of yellow sand. As the little train chugged around a bend in the track, the seaside town of St. Carys came into view.

  “Wow,” Lainey breathed. Of course they’d looked the place up online, but the real thing was already better. “I want to live here. Do you have a good feeling about it? Because I do, I definitely do.”

  “Don’t go getting your hopes up.” Kit was the practical one. “We haven’t passed the interview yet.”

  * * *

  They were early; their appointment at Menhenick House wasn’t until four, which left them with thirty minutes to kill. Since dragging their overnight cases across the sand wasn’t ideal, they stopped at the end of the esplanade overlooking the harbor and grabbed a table at a café topped with a blue-and-white-striped awning.

  “OK, we’re a ten-minute walk away.” Double-checking the map on his phone, Kit pointed to the left. “Up that hill and over on the other side of town. It’s straightforward enough.”

  “Do you think they’ll like us?”

  “I don’t see why not. I’m fantastically lovable, and you’re just about bearable when you make an effort.”

  “Do we look like a couple, though? Do we behave like a couple?”

  “We could quickly go and buy a couple of matching ‘kiss me quick’ hats, if you think it’ll help.”

  “Maybe we should practice holding hands.” Lainey didn’t regard herself as a devious person or an untruthful one, but on this occasion, it was a necessary fib. The family had advertised for a couple to work for them, and the ac
commodation they were supplying was a small one-bedroom apartment. If other genuine couples were in the frame, being two unattached people might be all that was needed to tip the scales against them and lose them the job.

  “If we were a couple, we wouldn’t hold hands during the interview,” Kit pointed out.

  She pushed aside her coffee and reached across the table. “Come on, humor me. Let’s give it a go anyway.”

  Kit did as she asked, lacing his fingers between hers. “Like this?”

  “How does it feel?”

  “Bit weird. The last time I held hands with a female, it was my mum and I was six.”

  “Give us a kiss.” Lainey leaned closer and playfully pursed her lips. Kit did the same and blew a kiss across the table.

  The woman in charge of the café, coming over to clear the empty table next to them, said cheerfully, “Now that’s what we like to see, a nice bit of romance to cheer us all up! Down here on your honeymoon, are you?” She tilted her head, checking their clasped hands for brand-new wedding rings.

  “Maybe one day.” Kit showed her his ring-free finger. “She hasn’t asked me yet.”

  A couple of minutes later, Kit disappeared to the bathroom. Since her phone was still confiscated, Lainey sipped her coffee and watched the flow of people making their way in and out of the shops along the curving esplanade. Her gaze was on a young mum attempting to console a screaming toddler when she was distracted by the sight of a tall man in his thirties making his way past. He was wearing jeans and a black polo shirt, with sunglasses hooked over the V at his throat, and it was the way he walked that caught Lainey’s attention because it was such a beautiful, easy walk.

  Narrow hips, long legs, flat stomach—if she’d had a checklist, it’d be full of ticks by now. And he was good-looking too. Even from this distance, she could see the excellent bone structure, the dark eyes and defined eyebrows.

  OK, men might be off the agenda for the foreseeable future, but it was still possible to admire a physically attractive specimen.

  The next moment, an older woman swerved into his path and held her arms out as if to waylay him. Without slowing or missing a step, the man diverted past while completely ignoring her. Mystified, Lainey watched as she clasped her hands together and called out, “Oh, please,” but the man continued as if she simply didn’t exist, heading on toward the café, then abruptly turning left and disappearing into one of the narrow side streets.

  The woman, visibly dejected, trudged away in the other direction. And Lainey realized that it didn’t matter how physically attractive you might be; nothing could make up for a cruel and uncaring attitude. How could he just ignore someone like that? Was the woman his mother or some other relative? Was she an ex-employee, summarily dismissed? Because she hadn’t appeared to be begging for money nor had she approached any of the other passersby.

  Now that they’d both vanished from view, though, it was highly unlikely Lainey’d ever find out. She checked her watch, eyed the delicious-smelling cheese-and-bacon toasted sandwich being delivered to one of the other customers, and wondered if she had time to order one before they needed to set off for their interview.

  Chapter 4

  Menhenick House might not be chateau-standard spectacular, but it was still pretty impressive. It gleamed white in the sunshine, a rambling country property surrounded by lawns and gardens that would have been stunning if only they weren’t so desperately overgrown.

  The gates had been open, and a dusty, red Audi stood on the weed-strewn driveway. The house looked to be a mishmash of styles, probably Victorian but with Edwardian additions. Cobalt-blue wooden shutters flanked the sash windows, and the front door was painted blue to match. Now that they’d made their way around the curving path, they could appreciate the stunning sea view and hear the waves breaking on the beach below. The lawn sloping down from the terrace was in need of watering. One rectangle of grass had been neatly mown, but the rest of it was over a foot high.

  “Oh God, I hope they like us,” Lainey whispered, because how amazing would it be to live in a place like this?

  Kit rat-tat-tatted the heavy lion’s head door knocker. “I hope we like them. Because if we don’t, the deal’s off.”

  Nobody answered the knock. Kit tried again. Then Lainey knocked a third time. “There’s someone in there, I’m sure of it.”

  The next moment, they heard a shrill voice call out, “Hang on, hang on,” followed by the rapid thud of footsteps galloping downstairs. The door was wrenched open to reveal a teenage girl in an oversized T-shirt, with a purple towel wrapped turban style around her head. “Sorry about that. I was in the bathroom. Are you here for the interview?”

  “We are.” Kit gave her a friendly nod.

  “Oh, but you’re early! It’s only four o’clock.”

  Lainey said, “We were told to be here at four.”

  “Well, Mum said five, and she’s not here. She’s taken the dogs out. Look, you’d better come in. Sorry about the mix-up… Honestly, this is why we need people here to sort us out! Sorry about the mess too.” She led them across the hall, along a wide corridor, and into a vast kitchen. “Now you can see what you’d be up against! Have a seat, both of you. Is it OK if I leave you here? Only my hair’s at a bit of a crucial stage, and if it falls out, it’ll be your fault, so I need to get back upstairs. Help yourselves to tea or coffee or anything else you fancy. I’ll message Mum and let her know you’re here, but who knows if she’ll see it? She’s completely hopeless with texts.”

  She disappeared out the door. Kit and Lainey looked at each other.

  “Pretty girl,” said Lainey.

  “Messy kitchen,” said Kit.

  He wasn’t kidding; to call it cluttered would be an understatement. Every surface was covered with packets of food, discarded mugs and glasses, bits of makeup, books, DVDs, sunglasses, plates, and magazines. The sink was piled high with dirty dishes, and there were dog baskets lined up against the far wall, various pet toys piled between them, and an emerald-green surfboard propped against another wall.

  “I suppose we just wait,” Kit went on.

  “I wonder where the bathroom is,” said Lainey. “I could do with a wee.”

  “Should have gone before we got here, like I did.”

  “Well, I suppose I can’t go nosing around looking for it.” She pulled out a chair, removed an empty potato chip packet and a baseball cap from the seat, and sat down.

  “We don’t even know how many people live here. Could be four, could be twenty-four.” Kit paused. “All we know is that they can’t be bothered to clear up after themselves. Look at this!” He pointed to half a piece of toast on the table.

  “Ooh, maybe it’s a test! Maybe we should do the dishes, then when the mother gets back, she’ll be dead impressed.”

  He shook his head. “And what if we’re doing that and one of us manages to break a priceless crystal glass? What would we do then?”

  “Wrap the pieces in newspaper and bury them in the bin. I can’t seriously imagine they’d ever notice.”

  “Well, we can’t do it anyway.” Kit indicated the empty plastic bottle next to the taps. “They’ve run out of dish soap.” He opened the right-hand door of the huge American-style refrigerator and shook his head as he surveyed the contents. “Hmm.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “A bag of spinach six weeks past its sell-by date.”

  Lainey shrugged; who could blame them for not eating it? Spinach was gross.

  “You should never keep eggs in a fridge.” Kit reached for a plastic packet and waved it accusingly at her. “And look at this! Who lives in a house worth millions and buys cheap ham?”

  Twenty minutes later, they heard the front door open. The next moment, there was a noisy skitter of claws on the parquet flooring out in the hall, followed by two dogs bursting into the kitchen.

 
; “Ernie, Glenda, be gentle! Hello!” A woman hurried in behind the dogs—a lumbering golden Labrador and a small bouncy terrier—and shook hands with Lainey and Kit. “I’m Majella. So lovely to meet you both. Sorry about the mix-up. India told me you were here, so I came rushing back, but we were right over on the other side of St. Carys. I could have sworn Seth said you’d be here at five, but my brain’s a bit of a sieve.”

  Majella was in her midforties, with green eyes and an engaging smile. Her blond hair had been ruffled by the sea breeze, she was wearing fuchsia-pink lipstick, and her billowy white shirt had come untucked from her pink-and-white-striped trousers, possibly because the trouser button was missing. They sat opposite her at the cluttered scrubbed-oak kitchen table with mugs of tea and answered her questions about their references and previous jobs. Apart from the small fib about them being a couple, everything else was aboveboard.

  Afterward, Majella took them across the graveled driveway to the little flat above the garage.

  “The bedroom’s not huge, but it’s a nice, comfy bed,” she promised. “And look, you can just about see the sea from the window!”

  “It’s perfect.” Lainey nodded; the gray sofa wasn’t massive, but they could take it in turns to sleep on it.

  Majella beamed. “And how long have you two been together?”

  “A year. We aren’t married,” Kit explained. “I hope that’s OK. I mean, we can arrange it if you really want us to.”

  Lainey looked suitably enthusiastic; well, it was good of him to offer.