‘Quite tragically,’ I say, as she hands me her coat.
‘While trying to kill you, I hear,’ she smiles.
‘Tea?’ I say.
‘Absolutely not,’ she says, staring at me with what can only be interpreted as an accusation of some kind. ‘Life can be so unpredictable, at times, can’t it? There I was, changing my will, and all the time you’re a bigamist and would get absolutely nothing anyway. And now, I’ll get a baronetess for a daughter-in-law.’
‘We’re both social climbers, I see.’
‘Well, you’re more on the descent, I feel. Stephen and Georgie are currently ensconced at an undisclosed London hotel, paid for by yours truly, planning their big day free of worries about divorce and divorce settlements. They’ve been able to bring the date forward by six months, thanks to your little oversight.’
‘I’m happy for them,’ I say. ‘The three of you deserve each other.’
‘And we’re all terribly sad that your husband wrote you out of his will. So you’re penniless, husbandless and homeless. If that’s not karma for poisoning my tea, I don’t know what is. I’m aware of what you tried to do, you know. I’m not stupid.’
‘How do you know about his will?’ I ask, ignoring her unfounded accusation.
‘When Stephen told me the news about your other marriage, I presumed, based on your essential narcissism, that it was a more viable economic option, so I looked up Matthew Hollis and discovered that he was a significantly wealthy man. I saw your game, Lalla, and I called him.’
‘What exactly did you do, Madeleine?’
‘I thought it only fair to advise him that you’d recently tried to poison me for my inheritance, so he should watch his back. He seemed interested in that. I also advised him to change his will.’
‘You know, Madeleine, for years I thought we were alike. But I never delighted in other people’s destruction. It was always just a practical necessity for me. We’re actually worlds apart.’
‘Indeed, I am who I am, and you’re a girl from nowhere who’ll do anything to get her way.’
‘But you taught me something important about people.’
‘Oh, I do apologize. I only wanted to teach you a lesson.’ She readjusts her Alice band.
‘You taught me how to outflank my enemies.’ I lean back in my chair. ‘Hollis did rewrite his will as you advised. But it seems that he never submitted it, or even had it witnessed, which is reassuring as there’s no one left to verify it, and I feel sure that it won’t be found in his possessions.’
‘You destroyed it?’ she says, her chin shaking visibly.
‘Perhaps he simply decided that he loved me.’
‘I doubt that,’ she says, but I see that the light has gone from her eyes. ‘Even if you have someone else’s money, there’s one thing you don’t have and that’s my son. And if you try to harm his new relationship, I’ll release all I know about your sordid little life.’
‘Of course, Madeleine. But it’s Georgie you should be worrying about, not me.’
‘Georgie’s not going to do anything to jeopardize her future.’
‘How much did you pay her to get back with him? Aside from settling all her debts?’
‘Our affairs are none of your business.’
‘But they are Stephen’s business.’
‘Stephen will enjoy the fruits of our arrangement, he does not need to see the details.’
‘There’s one more small thing I ought to share,’ I say. ‘Georgie has an unfortunate habit. She keeps a daily diary and is absolutely scrupulous about recording every minute detail. What she eats, what she buys, who she sees, who she sleeps with, and the details of all her meetings with you. Every single one.’
Madeleine’s face goes pale. ‘And you have this diary, do you? Is this what’s called mutually assured destruction? We either both release what we have and destroy each other, or we agree to keep things private.’
‘Yes,’ I say. ‘Except that I’ve already given the diary to Stephen.’
Her eyes widen and her mouth slowly opens. ‘You’re lying, Lalla.’
