Cole had intended to be delightful when Aiden left, sending him across the ocean with the sweetness of her kisses lingering on his lips. Unfortunately, their parting took place at 4 a.m., leaving her mainly half asleep, mumbly, and pathetic. Despite her sleepy state, she tried to convey her message by wrapping her arms around his leg and refusing to let go. “I’ll be back next Saturday,” he said, attempting to sound exasperated but ultimately laughing. “Please let go. I don’t want to be late.” “No. I’m keeping you.” “Cole.” She whimpered tragically. “Promise you’ll come and see me straight away? As soon as you land?” “It’s Eleanor’s birthday. Have you forgotten?” Oh shit. Where had August gone? “Only technically.” “How about…” He gently peeled her hand off his knee and gave it a squeeze. “I pick you up, and we go together?” That startled her almost awake. “You want to take me to…um…a family thing?”

Oh God. Cole was dying. An eyelid peeled open, and the immediate regret washed over her as light lanced straight through her skull. What had happened? Had she been attacked? Wait, no. She had spent the evening with Ellery. And now she felt broken. The best course of action, Cole decided, was to lie very still and pretend she didn’t exist. Yes, that would work. The sound of a door opening and closing reverberated through her senses like a stampede of raging wildebeests. Must have been the cleaners. She twitched her fingers in the direction of the pillow and mashed it protectively against her face. “Cole?” Wait, that voice. It was Aiden’s voice. Cole struggled to bring herself back to consciousness. She forced her eyes to work, followed by her brain. A human-shaped figure stood in the doorway. Yes, it was definitely Aiden. Not a hallucination. But a vision, nonetheless, dressed in a chocolate brown pinstriped sui

“Then that’s enough for me,” Cole caught his wrist and bestowed a fleeting kiss upon his palm. “But you have to do better with Ellery, okay?” He pulled away slightly. “I’m not sure I know how to.” “Oh come on, Aiden,” Cole sat back on her heels. “You’re not a robot or a monster. You know what you did and why it was awful. And I get you were upset, but that’s no excuse.” “Cole is different with you. She never responds well to me.” “That doesn’t mean you get to be… like almost willfully nasty to her.” He sighed. “I have spent my life hurting my sister. I don’t think either of us is prepared for that to change now.” “I think maybe you’re not prepared.” “Shouting at me about all the damage I’ve caused is hardly an effective way to open a dialogue.” “Actually… it could be. You’re the one who’s refusing to listen.” “Cole, you know what kind of man I am. You’ve always known.” “Yes,” Cole gazed at him steadily. “I do. I know how kind you are, for a start. And I know you don

She meant, yes, it had an entrance hall, for starters. It was that sort of place. Full of stately rooms that didn’t seem to be for anything. At least, nothing that normal people did like watch TV or wander round absentmindedly while chain-eating Pringles. It was all ornate plasterwork and inlaid panels, curlicues and chandeliers. Those really tall vase things that did nothing except proclaim that her house (and wallet) were big enough to accommodate them. It all left Cole slightly dizzy. Too much light glinting on too many surfaces. And the inescapable truth that the only circumstances in which people like her were expected to visit places like this was with a National Trust membership card. And Aiden had grown up there. This was his. Shit. She was having a Pemberley moment. Cole looked around desperately for Ellery. But unless she was wearing a particularly distinctive and Ellery-ish mask, or a name badge, maybe, she had no way of recognizing her among the

“What do you look for?” Cole asked. “The thing nobody else sees,” He replied, propping his hip casually against a piece of furniture she didn’t have a name for—something ornate and impressive, probably a credenza or vitrine or whatever. “Society photography comes down to one very simple principle. Anyone can take pictures of Kate Middleton and Lady Gaga. The trick is getting a picture of Kate Middleton with Lady Gaga.” “And have you?” “Not yet. But she’s a long way from dead, and hopefully so are they.” Cole laughed. In a strange way, the woman reminded her a little bit of Aiden. The same conviction, the same merciless drive, although focused and expressed very differently. She guessed it was becoming pretty apparent she had a type.But mainly Cole was grateful. Now, when she looked across the room, she met smiles. Flashes of recognition in other people’s eyes. She knew faces and names. She could have joined some of the conversations. Instead of drifting around pathetically. Stil