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smell of freshly brewed coffee. On the counter, a brightly coloured porcelain bowl overflowed with fruit – oranges, plums, kiwi fruit, a melon. Rona’s avoidance of cooking did not prevent her from eating well. She laid another plate and knife on the table, and waved her sister to a chair.
    â€˜Did you want anything in particular?’ Lindsey did not often appear unannounced.
    She shrugged, accepting a slice of bread and carving herself a generous piece of Camembert. ‘Moral support – advice.’ She looked up, meeting Rona’s eyes. ‘I had a letter from Hugh this morning.’
    â€˜Good grief! I didn’t think you were in touch.’
    â€˜We haven’t been, since the divorce.’
    â€˜So what did he want?’
    Lindsey felt in her handbag, extracted a sheet of notepaper, and pushed it across the table. It read:
    Dear Lindsey,
    I’ve been trying to pluck up the courage to write to you for some time. The point is, I’ve been pretty miserable these last few months, and I should very much like to see you again. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that we made a terrible mistake. I miss you, darling. If I come up, could we meet somewhere neutral for a meal? I promise not to pressure you in any way. Please say yes.
    Much love,
    Hugh
    â€˜Wow!’ Rona said softly.
    â€˜Quite.’ Lindsey reached for a pear.
    â€˜How do you feel about it?’
    â€˜How do you think? Ro, I never want to see him again! The
relief
when the divorce finally came through . . .’
    â€˜I know,’ Rona said quickly, laying a hand briefly over hers. ‘Then all you have to do is say no.’
    â€˜But is it?’ Lindsey asked miserably. ‘You know Hugh; once he gets a bee in his bonnet, he won’t let it drop. Now he’s decided he wants to see me, nothing will satisfy him but that he
does
see me, and I – I don’t think I could face it.’
    Thoughtfully, Rona poured the coffee. ‘Can’t you put a – a restraining order or something on him? You know more about this kind of thing than I do.’
    Lindsey was a junior partner in a firm of solicitors.
    â€˜That would only antagonize him. Oh God, why did he have to write to me?’
    â€˜As it happens,’ Rona remarked, selecting a piece of Stilton, ‘I’m in rather a quandary myself.’
    Lindsey’s head jerked up. ‘Max?’
    â€˜No,’ she returned dryly, ‘not Max.’
    A state of armed neutrality existed between her sister and her husband, which despite all Rona’s efforts she’d been unable to defuse. It was obvious neither of them liked the other, though whether the root cause was jealousy, she wasn’t sure. She retrieved Meriel Harvey’s letter from beside the phone and in her turn tossed it on the table.
    Lindsey read it in silence. ‘So what’s the quandary?’ she asked, when she’d finished. ‘Surely this is the chance you’ve been waiting for, to get to the bottom of all the mystery?’
    â€˜Possibly, but I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. I’d have to tread pretty carefully – he’s only been dead six months.’
    â€˜I should go for it. I bet there are any number of writers waiting in the wings till a decent interval has elapsed. And since yours was requested by the family, it’d be the authorized version, wouldn’t it?’
    Rona smiled. ‘Probably, though you make it sound like the Bible! I looked up his web site this morning, but it wasn’t much help; there’s plenty about the books, but nothing on his personal life that I didn’t already know from his obituaries. Still, I’ve arranged to see his wife tomorrow, so we’ll see what that brings.’
    Lindsey glanced at her watch. ‘I must be on my way; I have a client coming at two.’
    â€˜Not been much help, have I?’ Rona said ruefully, following her