On the walk back to the cottage, Gabriel’s arm around her shoulders, hers around his waist, they said little, digesting the evening and enjoying the warm breeze blowing in from the sea. At one corner, the vista opened up towards the valley and they stopped to soak in the landscape.

  Gabriel’s voice rumbled into her ear. “There’s something special about this place. I don’t how to describe it but it feels good for the soul. Am I being too esoteric?” His arms wrapped around her waist and his stubbled chin rested on her shoulder.

  She inhaled the scent of honeysuckle and bougainvillea and basil, wafting on the night air. “It is special. Nothing like I expected. My image was sun, sea, sand and some other stuff beginning with S. This is different, but in a really good way. Tonight was so much fun.”

  “They loved you. Who wouldn’t? You were so natural and friendly and fitted right in. I could see he was impressed with your comments on his work. So much more than a pretty face.”

  Tanya’s mind flipped back to the studio visit. While Romy was eating her third dessert and hassling Philly for a glass of port, Hoagy had taken his guests to the inner sanctum, allowing them a preview of his work in progress. Accompanied by the two hairy hounds, they wandered to the end of the garden to the studio, a two-storey stone outbuilding. Inside, canvases leaned against every wall.

  Hoagy shut the dogs outside and dialled up the lights to display his work. The focus on his model’s body was hard to overlook. Hoagy painted Romy as she performed her yoga routines, naked. The poses themselves were elegant, graceful and artistic, but exposed the young woman in a way that made Tanya uncomfortable. Not just the personal areas of her body, but the sense of being a voyeur at a private ritual. She hid her awkwardness by asking questions about sketches and motion, how to transfer the fluidity of movement onto a canvas.

  He answered in detail, his voice growing more voluble and passionate as he described his method. Upstairs, he showed them Romy’s room, a futon in the centre and windows on each side where she practised each morning. Hoagy captured the magic and took it downstairs to convey it to canvas.

  “Yeah, his paintings are striking. I can see why he’s such a big deal in the art world.” She paused, hesitant to express any criticism. Then she reminded herself this was Gabriel, her husband, and there should be no secrets. “The whole muse thing, though. Don’t you find that a bit weird?”

  He kissed her neck and they began walking down the hill. “Weird, freaky, and if I can get all millennial for a second, TMI.”

  A delighted laugh escaped her. “TMI? Too right. I just met the girl so I’d prefer a longer acquaintance before being exposed to her undercarriage.” She intertwined her fingers in his. “The paintings themselves were pretty kinky, but the set-up is what really messes with my head. She lives above his studio, he paints her naked, she has dinner with them both and he toddles off to bed with his wife? Sorry, but WTF?”

  “WTAF.” Gabriel unlocked the door to their tiny cottage and kicked off his shoes.

  In the kitchen, Tanya stashed the Tupperware full of leftover fish in the fridge. Philly had insisted they take it as they left. “Do you want a nightcap?” she called.

  “Herbal tea for me. My stomach is swilling with alcohol. You know, Hoagy’s always been this way. Philly is his third wife and I reckon she might last the distance. She can handle the whole ‘muse’ narrative. Heather always says Hoagy found a way to make infidelity not only acceptable but lucrative.”

  “Was your mum ever one of his lovers?” Tanya asked, filling a pan to boil water. “Oh my God, you’re not his illegitimate son, are you?”

  Gabriel stretched out on the sofa, yawning like an overfed lion. “Nope. Heather was going through her lesbian phase when she and Hoagy were at The Slade. He and my mother were close but in that you-really-get-on-my-tits-but-I’m-looking-out-for-you kind of way. Hoagy had already hit the big time when Heather got pregnant with me. He sent her a five-figure cheque, with a note saying ‘This is your freedom to decide’. So she decided. She chose to go through with the pregnancy and made him my godfather. That’s it.”

  “A very decent man. Even if he does paint his lovers’ bits and sell them for obscene amounts of cash. Here’s your tea. Gabe?”

  He opened his eyes. “What?”

  “Did you fancy her? I mean, I’d understand if you did. Romy is one of those catwalk creatures you cannot believe exist. Luminous, glowing and all the other words they put on the packaging of face creams. She’s got the body of a teenager, the hair of a goddess and thanks to Hoagy’s pictures, you’ve seen what’s under the hood. If I was a bloke, I think I’d fancy the arse off her. I could tell she wanted to jump your bones.”

  He sat up to sip his tea. “I’ve seen what’s ‘under the hood’? ‘Jump my bones’? Where do you come up with these expressions? Tanya, I made myself clear when we tied the knot. In my eyes, there’s only ever been one woman I wanted. Cobweb or Mustardseed or whatever she calls herself holds no interest whatsoever. Does that answer your question? Come here.”

  Tanya forgot all about her tea.

  Chapter 2

  Gabriel slept soundly, his lips parting occasionally to puff out an exhalation. Rather than wake him, Tanya crept out of bed and threw on last night’s dress to go to the bakery. When he woke up, she would have fresh bread, coffee and orange juice on the table. She slid her feet into sandals and made a decision. Drop a note of thanks into the Moffatts from her and Gabriel, then return to the cottage via the little bakery. She put the fish in foil, washed the Tupperware, wrote a warm appreciative letter and left the cottage in glorious morning sunshine.

  The route was not exactly as she remembered and she took at least two wrong turns before she found herself on the right road. A ginger cat sashayed across her path and she stopped to give it a stroke, its tail quivering like an aerial. A woman’s voice called her name. She turned, shielding her eyes with her hand. Cycling up the hill was Philly, wearing leggings and a flowery shirt. The wolfhounds paced alongside, triggering the cat to scarper. Philly cruised to a halt before Tanya, her face glowing with exertion and the basket on her bike filled with groceries.

  “Good morning, dear girl! You’re up and about early.”

  “Good morning, Philly. Yes, I’m on my way to the bakery, but thought I’d leave a thank-you note in your post-box along with your Tupperware. I didn’t want to disturb you. Hello, doggies.” The wolfhounds greeted her with wagging tails and wet noses.

  “Come on in and have a coffee. Hoagy won’t be up for another hour. He was utterly plastered when he went to bed. Or are you in a hurry to get back to your brand-new husband? I remember how one can’t keep one’s hands off them, at least in the early days.”

  Tanya blushed, recalling their passion of the previous night. “A coffee would be lovely. If you’ll take me as I am, still wearing last night’s dress.”

  “Par for the course, my dear. I would be wearing the same kaftan but the dratted thing gets caught in the pedals when I’m on my bike. Very forgiving garments, you know, kaftans.” She let out a whistle. “Harris, Balfour, home!”

  They strolled up the lane together, chatting as comfortably as if they’d known each other far longer than twelve hours. The house was silent, but all traces of last night’s party were gone. Table, kitchen, patio, everything was pristine.

  Philly made a cafetière of coffee, warmed some milk and scooped up three cups. The two women returned to the same seats they had occupied the night before, soaking up the morning sunshine. The dogs left a trail of drops across the patio after lapping from their water bowl, and lay in the shade of a rhododendron bush.

  “Your home is lovely,” said Tanya. “Deià is lovely as a whole, but your house is the loveliest I’ve seen. Sorry, I do know more adjectives than lovely but it’s early and I’ve not had sufficient caffeine.”

  Philly laughed, lifting her face to the sky. “When you grasp the best possible word to describe a place, use it. It is lovely, all of it. Here is ancient magic. Drink your coffee and open all your senses. You’ll see what I mean.”

  The coffee was rich and creamy, filling Tanya with a sense of well-being. She gazed out at the garden, listening to the sounds of bees around the blooms, sensing the sun on her face and inhaling the aroma of proper strong coffee. One of the dogs sat up to stare at Philly, his hairy eyebrows doing a convincing impression of a stern head teacher. He whined and paced towards the patio, sitting right in front of her chair.

  “What is it, Harris? You’ve had your breakfast and we were enjoying a moment. What is wrong with you, you foolish mutt?”

  The wolfhound whined again and lifted a paw to scrape Philly’s leg.

  “Oh, I see. Romy and I usually have coffee together in the mornings. All right then, Harris, go and get her. Where’s Romy? Go fetch Romy.”

  The dog slunk inside the house, his tail curling under his body, followed by the other large beast. Both kept their heads low as if they’d been reprimanded.

  Philly gave a startled owlish look at Tanya. “How peculiar! I’ll just pop over to the studio and check all is well. Back in a jiffy.” She strode over the lawn and disappeared from view.

  In her absence, Tanya cradled her coffee cup and stared up at the sky. Acres of uninterrupted blue with nothing to disturb its uniformity but the occasional vapour trail. The tranquillity of the morning was shattered by a sudden scream.

  Tanya jolted in alarm, spilling coffee on her dress. She ran across the grass to the studio and saw Philly at the top of the stone steps, both hands over her mouth, staring through the open door.

  “Philly? What is it?”

  Instead of an answer, Philly repeated, “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,” over and over again into her cupped hands.

  Tanya bounded up the steps and reached out a hand to the woman’s shoulder, following her sightline. A gasp escaped her and she recoiled in shock, her back pressed up against the railing. Inside the room, lit by morning sunshine was a scene of such absolute horror Tanya could not process what she was seeing as real. Romy’s body spilled off the futon, her throat gaping open and her Titian hair soaked in blood. In the pool of deep red that spread across the floor, one arm lay limp. The girl’s lifeless blue eyes stared at the ceiling. Beside Tanya, Philly crumpled to her knees and made a high-pitched keening sound. Someone should do something. Trembling uncontrollably, Tanya realised that someone would have to be her.

  “We have to call the police. Let’s get back to the house.”

  Philly’s eyes flooded with tears, shaking her head in disbelief, unable to wrench her eyes from the macabre scene.

  “Here, lean on me.” She eased the older woman to her feet and with some difficulty, the two shaking women managed to get down the stone steps and across the garden. Once back on the patio, Philly stared at Tanya, uncomprehending.

  “She’s dead.”

  “Yes, she is. Can you call the police?” Tanya’s voice was unsteady.

  “The police?”

  “Yes. Call the police and tell them it’s an emergency. You have to report a murder.”

  When Tanya finished giving her statement and stumbled out of the police station into the midday sun, Gabriel was waiting. All Tanya’s barely controlled panic and worry bubbled up and overflowed. She fell into his arms, weeping tears of relief and delayed shock.

  He held her tightly until she was able to speak. “Are you OK?” he asked, stroking her hair.

  “I am, but what about Philly? The police detective wouldn’t let me see her. Or Hoagy. They were both in such a state this morning. They shouldn’t be dealing with this alone.”

  “Don’t worry about Hoagy. They released him around an hour ago and I insisted on driving him back to our cottage. He can’t go home as the forensic people are still crawling all over the villa. I sent you a text in case you came out while I was gone.”

  “Oh, I haven’t even checked my phone. Why are they keeping her if they let him go?”

  Gabriel shrugged, a helpless gesture. “The police know who to call when she is released, so why don’t we go back to the cottage and wait?”

  Tanya hesitated, reluctant to return to the station but uncomfortable at leaving Philly alone. “Should I ask them to pass on a message?”

  “I already did. My Spanish is a bit rusty but I was able to give them my number and explain we are their guests. They called me to get Hoagy and again to collect you. When they let Philly out, we’ll be the first to know. Come on, you must be hungry.”

  Tanya wiped her eyes and took his hand as they set off down the road. “No, food is the last thing on my mind. But I am desperate to get out of this dress, have a shower and clean my teeth.”

  They drove to the cottage in silence, which Tanya appreciated more than Gabriel could possibly know. It took all her mental strength to focus on the present and blot out the last few hours of reliving and retelling the same horrific moments of that morning. Silence was the balm she needed. A ginger cat watched them from a windowsill, reminding her of the one she was stroking when Philly called her name. To Tanya, that seemed like several days ago.

  At the cottage, Hoagy was asleep in a chair on the veranda, his chin resting on his chest. Gabriel closed the door so as not to wake him and began making sautéed potatoes to go with yesterday’s fish. Tanya got into the shower. She scrubbed and lathered and let the water cleanse her. If only she could do the same for her mind. She dressed in clean clothes, dried her hair and told herself she was fully restored. Until she opened the bedroom door and saw Gabriel’s face. Her breath caught and her mind ran through all of her terrors before he could speak: Luke hurt in an accident, Dad had a heart attack, someone assaulted Marianne, an ex-con kidnapped Beatrice, Gabriel’s house burned down ...

  “The police are keeping Philly in overnight. Tomorrow they plan to charge her with murder.”

  Both their heads rotated to look at the sleeping form on the chair outside.

  Oblivious of his wife’s predicament, Hoagy continued to doze.

  Chapter 3

  Beatrice checked off the next item on her list and allowed herself a moment of satisfaction. She had made breakfast, taken Luke to school, put the washing on, bought the shopping, made the dessert for the evening’s dinner party and done a spot of match-making. Quite the overachiever. She checked the clock and saw it was almost one o’clock. She made two cheese, onion and salad cream sandwiches, and took one outside for Matthew, who was trying to fix the lawnmower. Huggy Bear, who had been asleep under the table, sat up, her nose twitching.

  “Any luck?” she asked, placing his plate on the garden table.

  “Think it might be the spark plugs. I’ll pop into town after lunch and buy some new ones.” He looked at the table and his face fell. “Oh, just a sandwich today? I have been gardening all morning and I walked the dog.”

  “Tinkering about is more like it. Yes, sandwiches for lunch because we’ve got a lot to do. I’m going to eat mine while I check my emails. Multitasking, you see. If you’re still hungry after that, have an apple. Don’t go ferreting about in the kitchen for cake because we’re having a three-course dinner later.”

  “Three courses?” Matthew’s expression brightened.

  “Yes, I’ve already made the summer pudding. After this, I’ll crack on with the starters. Potted crab, I thought. Main course will be baked salmon with a green vegetable medley and baby spuds.”

  “Ooh, I’m very partial to potted crab. Do you need a hand at all?”

  “No, thank you. Your contribution is mowing the lawn and organising the wines. Something fizzy to start and then a light-ish white with the meal, I suggest. Who’s going to fetch Luke from school?”

  “I should be able to manage that, presuming I can get this blasted machine to work.”

  Beatrice left him to his sandwich and took hers into the study. Part of her hoped there would be no new cases to investigate for a while, as the summer so far had been very busy. Plus she wanted a week off to look after Luke while Tanya was on honeymoon. Her inbox contained one enquiry about proving a husband’s infidelity. She groaned. So many suspicious spouses out there. Still, they earned her enough to afford an assistant, so she wrote back asking for more detail.

  Admin done, she went into the kitchen to start work on the crab. She was chopping shallots when the telephone rang.

  “Beatrice Stubbs speaking?”

  “Hello, Beatrice, it’s Tanya. Something horrible has happened and we need your help.”

  Two hours later, Matthew returned from town with spark plugs and Luke. The boy burst into the kitchen with his usual clatter to be welcomed with equally noisy enthusiasm by Huggy Bear. The two rolled about on the floor, beside themselves with delight. From the rocking-chair in the corner, Dumpling gave them a baleful, yellow-eyed stare.

  “How was school?” asked Beatrice.

  “All right. Mrs Shaw gave us a surprise maths test which everyone said wasn’t fair, but she did it anyway and when we got our marks back, I got seven out of ten. Mark Newell got ten! But he’s always top in maths.”

  “Seven’s pretty good. Now remember we’re having guests for dinner at eight o’clock. So I want you to do your homework, have some tea and then say hello when people arrive. Then you can have an hour of TV before bed. I will come and check you’ve cleaned your teeth and washed your face. Do you want a snack now to keep you going?”

  “Yes, please. Can I have a slice of cake?”

  Beatrice cut a slab of carrot cake and handed it to the boy. “What homework have you got?”