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“It’s OK,” whispered Lottie, her heart pounding.

“Please,” Hannah’s voice wobbled, “don’t be kind to me right now.” She clasped her hands together. “I think I might crumple if you’re too kind.” She sounded like she was trying to keep her voice level.

“I don’t know,” said Lottie, her eyes soft. “Maybe having a moment to crumple even a little wouldn’t be such a bad thing?”

“Nope,” Hannah gave a weak grin and wiped her eyes. “Not today, Satan.” She rubbed her arms. “And by that, I don’t mean you.”

Lottie laughed. “I should hope not.” She looked at Hannah, and had the sense that she was seeing through that brittle exterior for a moment or two. “I get that you don’t want to get into it. That’s fine. But, tell me what you need to do practically. Please. I want to help.”

“I appreciate that,” said Hannah, who seemed to be relaxing a little.

Lottie breathed out, grateful that Hannah seemed to be able to trust her. The skin on her hand where it had rested on Hannah’s arm was still tingling, and she was reminded of the way she felt last night – after that kiss.

“There is something you can do, actually. We obviously don’t have Wi-Fi right now with the power cut,” began Hannah. “But I could really do with talking to Mark, my editor. Also, I probably need to speak to the police down there. And who knows, maybe here, too. Do you have a landline I could use?”

Lottie smiled. She could definitely help. “You can take over my office for the morning if you like. There’s a desk and a landline, and eventually there will be Wi-Fi again. We’re hoping to get the generator up and running soon.”

“I wouldn’t want to be in the way,” said Hannah.

“Not at all.” Lottie shook her head. “I’ll be running around checking on guests and sorting out the million things that inevitably need sorting when something like this happens.” She smiled at Hannah, trying to communicate that it really was no problem. “I might need to pop in to get things from time to time, but once you’ve had breakfast, come to reception and I’ll show you through to the control room.”

“Sounds exciting,” said Hannah, and the sides of her mouth lifted and made Lottie’s stomach flip.

“I might be overselling it,” said Lottie with a giggle. “Right, I’d best get on, I’m hoping Danny will be here with his toolkit soon.”

Lottie made her way to reception where there would, no doubt, be plenty of residents needing help. She wished she could stay with Hannah. Her mind whirled with the notion that someone might wish her harm. She knew that women in the public eye sometimes experienced this kind of thing, but hearing it directly from Hannah was an eye-opener. It made her feel angry. How dare someone threaten her or make her feel afraid.

Lottie was slowly learning that Hannah was a complex and sensitive person. She was fascinating. She was desperate to learn more about her, ask her questions about herself, spend time with her. But she was working, and with the weather and the power cut, she couldn’t leave her post.

“Morning, Lottie,” said Alistair as he approached her desk. He was wrapped up in a thick coat, boots, scarf and hat.

“Morning, Al,” replied Lottie with a smile.

“I’ve just done a quick circuit of the castle,” he said, pulling off his hat and stuffing it in his pocket.

“What’s the damage?” asked Lottie.

“It’s actually not too bad,” said Alistair. “I think those two Christmas trees outside are probably past their best, but aside from a couple of wooden shutters coming off their hinges, I think we’ve got away fairly lightly.”

“Well that’s a relief,” said Lottie. “Although we could really do with the generator kicking in.”

“Aye,” said Alistair.

“If you go into the kitchen, I’m sure someone will sort you out a bacon sarnie,” said Lottie.

“Sounds good. I’ll bring one out for you, too,” said Alistair. “I bet you haven’t had breakfast yet.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

HANNAH

Hannah sat in the dining room and considered her good fortune. Early this morning she had felt utterly alone and panicky, but somehow, with Lottie on her side, she felt better able to face things. Had she ever felt this way with Carl? She didn’t think so.

She took a pinch of flaky pastry from her croissant and put it into her mouth, very aware that Lottie was not married to her, and they weren’t actually in a relationship of any kind. Comparing her to Carl seemed a bit excessive. But she couldn’t help it.

She pulled up the sleeves of her jumper, the candles on the table doing a surprisingly good job of warming her. She rubbed her forearms, feeling the imprint Lottie had left when she had rested her hand on her arm. What even was this? Did people always feel like this if they were attracted to someone? Was this what she’d been missing all this time?

She considered this as she slowly consumed her breakfast, each mouthful bringing a little more strength. The sun was getting higher in the sky now and light began to fill the room. While there remained a knot of anxiety in her stomach, she was beginning to feel a little more optimistic.