Page 84 of I Knew You Were Trouble

‘Allright, yes, okay. He’s hot. But he’s far more than that. Willem’sprincipledand kind and thoughtful. And we’ve had these conversations… He’s a nice man, Margs –decent.’

‘My darling cousin,’ she says, placing a hand on my arm, ‘you don’t need niceordecent right now. You’re on the rebound from Arseface. You need a man who will lift you up, pin you against the wall, and screw you so royally, you see stars.’

I gawp at her.

‘Oh, don’t look at me like that. You need sex –greatsex – and you need it ASAP. Trust me, it’s the best method for exorcising the demons of a bad relationship. I could write abookabout it.’

I don’t doubt that and, uncannily, she’s described my latest fantasy about Willem almost to the letter. But I’m not comfortable reducing his value to what he can do with his penis. Heisa decent man, and I’ve now admitted to myself – and Margot – that what I feel for him is more than just lust.

‘Kate.’

I snap out of my stupor to discover Margot peering at me, an odd expression on her face.

‘Does that conclude your lecture on using sex to get over a shitty ex?’ I ask.

Her eyes narrow. ‘Almost – one last point and then I’ll be quiet.’

‘Ladies and gentlemen, behold, an actual miracle!’ I call out to an imaginary audience.

She smiles tersely. ‘I’m being serious.’

My smile falls away. ‘Okay, what is it?’

‘Maybe now isn’t the time to be falling in love.’

‘What?’ I say with a scoffing laugh. ‘I never said anything about falling inlovewith Willem.’

‘Only that he’s decent and kind and a good bloke – all the things that Jon isn’t. He’s also acting as your champion…’

‘But you just said, not two minutes ago, that I should shag him.’

‘Shag, not fall for. Just be careful with your heart, okay?’

Margot’s words echo in my ears, underscored by what Poppy said earlier.

‘I will,’ I say quietly.

Even though it may be too late for that.

20

POPPY

‘And, Poppy, we’ll conclude with your update on the Kate Whitaker revenge case.’

I don’t like it being labelled a ‘revenge case’, but at least Ursula hasn’t insisted on naming it after a fairy tale, like she usually does. Anyway, it’s a minor quibble, so I smile serenely, then address my colleagues.

‘All aspects of the case are progressing well. The persona I’ve created – Penny Mullings – is engaging with Dunn daily via text messages and’ – I take a steeling breath – ‘we have a video call scheduled for tonight.’

Fellow agent Nasrin sends me a commiserating grimace across the table.

‘I know,’ I say to her. ‘I’m not looking forward to it, but it’s designed to progress the relationship with “Penny”. The aim is to prod Dunn into making a sizeable donation to our chosen not-for-profit. He has a track record of flashing his wealth about, so we have reason to be confident.’

‘Importantly,’ Ursula says to the others, ‘we’re not only hitting Dunn in his hip pocket, but also his ego. When it emerges that he’s donated to an arts’ education program – and we plan to make his donation as visible as possible – he will have to grin and bear it.’

‘Or suck it up, as we’d say in Australia,’ I add with a smile.

‘A charming expression, as always, Poppy,’ says Ursula with a sideways glance in my direction.

---