"Hi Evan. It's Eleanor Strathclyde."

Eleanor stood in her kitchen, phone crooked in one ear and filing her nails, steaming cup of jasmine green cooling, curls of tea leaves unraveling in the hot water. She'd left Caroline this morning with a promise to do what she could to help. And she was intent on doing whatever she could to protect her. Currently she was tackling the root of the problem head-on. One misguided Evan Crenshaw.

"Yes – I'm well thank you. But Caroline's not. And you're a direct cause. And that makes me terribly unhappy."

Evan prattled and sputtered on the other end of the line.

"As a matter of fact, I think you should be awfully concerned with my happiness, vis a vi Caroline."

She frowned at his nasty assortment of ineffective insults.

"Well, in that case I think you might have forgotten that I know something that you consider very private. Something you'd like very much to stay that way, in any case."

"Oh I know what I said. But that was two years ago. And circumstances have changed. Because of your actions, Evan. Your very petty actions."

She let him continue to pander, before cutting him off.

"Yes. I know what it would do to Erica. To your entire family. It would be simply devastating. You'd of course see your kids again, but those relationships would never be the same. I don't know that Erica would ever forgive you. And she'll certainly blame you for how your marriage fell apart. But you know what Evan? You know what will be even worse?"

She took a sip of tea. Still too hot. "What will be even worse is that Erica would probably blame herself, too. She'd spend the rest of her life wondering. She'd probably always be a little worse off because of it."

"I agree. It's a horrendous thing to say – and to think. But it's true. And Erica is the primary reason I've kept this name, and the very revealing context of the name, to myself. In the past."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and with bored expression held the mobile away from the other ear as Evan's voice became quite loud on the other end of the line.

"Listen. Yelling isn't going to help you here, Evan. It's all terribly simple. You change your vote on this idiotic attempt to unseat Caroline, and it's all done. It all goes away. I'm stepping down from the board at Sulgrave Heath, so I'll have no other reason to start name dropping to the wrong people."

She blew delicately across the top of the mug - sipped her tea again. Perfect. "That is of course, unless you try anything else hurtful and stupid with Caroline. Then we'll have to do this all over again. And I'd just hate that, wouldn't you?"

"Oh that's a good boy. I knew we could come to an understanding. Everything goes well with the vote, and your happy marriage continues untouched."

"Yes. You're welcome. Lovely speaking with you Evan. Give my best to Erica."

Eleanor clicked off the mobile and replaced it on the counter, empty eyes fixed out to the garden and cooling tea in hand.


"Catherine I'll really owe you." One Even Crenshaw down. Julie Bowen was next on Eleanor's hit-list, easily accessible via the old-girls club.

Catherine tipped up her gin martini, meeting the rim of Eleanor's Manhattan. "You being in my debt is almost enough payment in and of itself. Almost. In fact, you haven't owed me a favor since, well, let's say it's been ages. And getting Julie Bowen to side with you won't be a problem. She's an old, dear friend."

"Oh I'm sure." Eleanor rolled her eyes. "And don't gloat. It's pedestrian."

"I've known you and your secrets for years – since Oxford, Lady Eleanor. It's adorable the way you're doting on Caroline. I mean you were positively smitten with Emma, back in the day. But this - this is something new entirely." Catherine looked Eleanor up and down. "You're even starting to let yourself go."

"Enough from you. Drink and be silent." Eleanor smiled and shook her head, tumbling loose a few long strands. "And Catherine, this is between us."


"Lenore. Yes. Yes, I know, Lenore. Just – " Eleanor sat in the car park waiting to fetch June and Lily from football. She waited for the older woman to finish her rambling train of thought. "Yes Lenore, but imagine what might ensue after a sudden dismissal and a drawn-out search. We're completely unprepared for a change in leadership."

"Yes of course I have a vested personal interest. That's quite obvious."

Trees swayed and rustled, remaining leaves clattering and the grass pale late October green. Sun had warmed the car but a chill had stolen into the air.

"Listen. I was there for you all the way down the line on the vote to free the capital for the new athletic center. I hate to call in a chit, but this is simply a tempest in a teapot. You know that."

She waved through the windshield to Lily and June as they approached from the pitch, smiles broad.

"Good then. We're set. Yes I know you're taking a chance here. But now I'm counting on you. And Lenore – thank you. I do appreciate it. Okay. Bye then."

She put down her mobile as the girls climbed in. "Alright – who's for Indian takeaway?"

"I am I am I am I am," came a chorus from the back.


"Janet this is ridiculous. You know it. I know it. What the hell is going on?" Eleanor sat back on the leather sofa in Janet Grisham's office, above the rest of York's low roof line, giant windows surveying the river to the north.

"The horses are out of the barn, ridiculous or not. I've had three board members come to me, and Evan is looking to call a vote on it this week."

"Well I've dealt with Evan. And Julie Bowen. And Lenore Cumberland. I'm still on the board, and with your vote included we've more than enough to stop this lunacy. I've spoken with Tony Parish already – he thinks it's nonsense, and I've confirmed his support. And none of the other members even care; they just want it shut, one way or the other. They'll follow our lead."

"Well in that case why even have a vote? Let's just move on."

"Oh no. Evan's going to have his vote." Eleanor shook her head and raised her index finger. "Once he's voted down with everyone present, forced to go back on his ill-conceived bigotry, it will shut Caroline of him once and for all. It'll give her plenty of political cover once I'm gone."

Janet nodded. "OK then."

"And I'm going to need something from you. Because I want this to be unanimous." She met the older woman's curious gaze. "I need you to convince Patricia Greig to go the right way."

Janet laughed. "Never going to happen."

"You can find a way. I'll owe you."

"Well I think I'd rather have it that way than the other way around."

Eleanor's face was stern, no humor present. "Yes. You would."

"All right. All right. I'll see what I can do. Oh but she's had it in for Caroline forever. She's been waiting for this."

"Tell her it's the wrong time. Tell her she'll do herself more harm by seeming the lone, stubborn dissenter. Tell her it'll look like she cares more about her own agenda than the school. Just tell her whatever you have to in order to get it done." Eleanor smiled sweetly. If Patricia fell in line, Caroline would have nothing to worry about.

"It's really too bad we're losing you, Eleanor. I'd wanted you to Chair when my term is up next year. I'm just undoing Evan's damage now."

"We all want things Janet, believe me."

"You must have made a deal with the devil himself to change Evan's vote. That man is arcane."

Eleanor let her gaze fall over Janet's shoulder to study the flow of the river beyond. "The devil – she and I concluded our dealings a while ago. And it was quite an educational experience." Eleanor favored the river with a wan smile. "And Janet - this conversation, all of it, my role in any of this - stays between us for now."