The Girl on the Cliff by Lucinda Riley

wanting to tell her that Lily was dead, and surely wouldn’t mind if she learned, but it was not her place to do so. So she followed Aurora silently into the kitchen.
    ‘Now,’ Aurora smiled up at her and put her hands on her hips, ‘what are we going to do today? What do you have hidden in your magic bag?’ she asked eagerly.
    Grania duly produced a tin of watercolours and a small canvas. ‘I thought, as the weather’s fine today, we might go outside and paint the view. What do you think?’
    Aurora nodded. ‘Don’t we need an easel?’
    ‘I’m sure we can make do, but if you find you like it, I might take you into Cork city to the art shop there and we could buy one.’
    Aurora’s face lit up. ‘Would we go on a bus?’ she questioned. ‘I’ve always wanted to go on a bus.’
    Grania raised an eyebrow. ‘Have you never been on a bus before?’
    ‘No, there aren’t many here, and when we lived in London, Daddy’s chauffeur took us everywhere. Perhaps you could ask Daddy if I might, when you see him?’
    Grania nodded in agreement, and just as they were making their way into the drawing room to go out on to the terrace, Mrs Myther, the housekeeper, came down the stairs with a basket of laundry. Grania had met her before on a couple of occasions and she seemed a pleasant enough woman.
    ‘May I have a word, Grania?’ Mrs Myther asked her. ‘In private,’ she whispered.
    ‘Aurora, you go outside and try to find the best spot from which to paint the view. I’ll be there in two seconds.’
    Aurora nodded and opened the French windows to move out on to the terrace.
    ‘Mr Devonshire wanted me to ask you if it was possible for you to join him for dinner either tonight or tomorrow? He would like to talk to you about Aurora.’
    ‘I see.’
    Grania must have looked concerned, for Mrs Myther patted her arm and smiled. ‘It’s nothing to worry about. Mr Devonshire, and I for that matter, are very grateful for all the time you’ve been spending with Aurora. May I tell him whether tonight or tomorrow will be best for you?He obviously doesn’t want Aurora to be involved in the conversation, you see.’
    ‘Tonight will be fine.’
    ‘Shall I tell him you’ll be here at about eight?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Good. And may I say that you’re just what that child needs,’ added Mrs Myther. ‘She’s come alive since she met you.’
    Grania wandered through the drawing room and out on to the terrace to join Aurora, doing her best not to second-guess what it was Alexander wanted to speak to her about. The two of them passed a pleasant morning in the weak sunshine, Grania teaching Aurora the basics of perspective. When it became chilly, they went back into the kitchen to paint the sketch. Aurora climbed on to Grania’s knee as she showed her how to mix a little red with blue to achieve the soft purple of the faraway cliffs at the end of the bay. When they’d finished and were surveying their handiwork, Aurora threw her arms around Grania’s neck and gave her a hug.
    ‘Thank you, Grania. It’s beautiful and I shall hang it in my bedroom wherever I live, so it will always remind me of home.’
    Mrs Myther had appeared in the kitchen and was stirring soup over the range. Grania took her arrival as a cue to leave and stood up.
    ‘What shall we do tomorrow?’ asked Aurora eagerly. ‘Will you ask Daddy tonight if I can go on the bus to Cork city?’
    Grania glanced down at Aurora in surprise. ‘How did you know I was coming tonight?’
    ‘I just did.’ Aurora tapped her nose. ‘You will ask him, won’t you?’
    ‘I promise,’ Grania nodded.
    Grania had told her mother she would not be in for supper that evening. This had elicited a raised eyebrow but no comment.
    ‘I’m off,’ Grania said as she came down the stairs. ‘I’ll see you later.’
    Kathleen eyed her. ‘I’d say you were dressed up for a gentleman. Are you, Grania?’
    ‘Oh, Mam, Aurora’s father simply wants to talk to me about her. I’ve