The next time Juliet awoke, it was dark outside. Her bedroom curtains were undrawn and she could see the moon, nearly three-quarters full, through one of the two windows in the room. Its silvery beam was reflected in the full-length, antique cheval mirror in the corner of her room. That mirror had reflected her image throughout the first sixteen years of her life.

A lump formed in her throat as she saw flashes of a five-year-old, pirouetting in front of it in a pink Tutu, her favourite Unicorn toy in one hand, a Prince Charming doll in the other. An eight-year-old going to a party she didn't want to go to. A fourteen-year-old, wondering if her freckles would ever disappear. And a sixteen-year-old trying on dress after dress and tilting the mirror this way and that, to decide which to wear on her very first date with the boy she'd just met at the lake. Just a few weeks later, she looked into that mirror for what she thought would be the very last time. There wasn't room for such large, ornate furniture at 29 Mistletoe Row.

A knock on the door gave her a start.

'Come in,' she said, reaching across to switch on the bedside lamp.

Instead of her mum, or Daphne, or even Harrison, a swathe of long, sleek, mahogany hair appeared around the door, followed by a smile the size of the moon, and a soft, sultry voice said, 'Hi.'

'Hello,' Juliet replied, unable to think of anything else.

'We haven't been introduced.' The woman sashayed into the room wearing an expensive-looking and extremely short dressing gown of the finest silk Juliet had ever seen. It was loosely tied and left little to the imagination. She was evidently naked beneath. She sat serenely on the very edge of the bed, without even making an indentation, or so it seemed and crossed her long, shapely legs. 'I'm Kiki. I'm here with Harrison.'

Juliet tried not to imagine what that meant, even though she had already assumed the beautiful woman was Harrison's girlfriend. At least there was no engagement ring on her left hand.

'I'm Juliet. I'm sorry for the inconvenience my mishap has caused. Is Harrison okay?'

'No need to apologise. We hardly know you're here. And Harrison's fine. I've just left him in the shower. I thought I'd pop in before we dressed and went downstairs for drinks. Is there anything you need?'

Juliet cleared her throat. But she couldn't clear the image of Harrison and this beautiful woman in the shower together, quite so easily. And that was clearly what Kiki was telling her. She shook her head. 'No thanks. Mum's bringing a tray up later.'

'You were so lucky Harrison had decided to go for a walk this morning.' She leant forward and brushed Juliet's arm with long, slim fingers and red-painted nails. 'I was still in bed. Ask Harrison. I'm not a morning person.'

'At eleven o'clock?' It must have been around eleven when she crashed through the ice. She'd been skating for quite some time beforehand. 'That's almost lunchtime.'

Kiki smiled. 'What can I say? We went to the local pub last night and had such a good time, we didn't get home till late. And Harrison's ... well, let's just say, Harrison's very active.' She yawned and stretched like a panther before giggling like a naughty little girl. 'And a girl's got to get some sleep if she wants to stay beautiful, hasn't she?'

She looked Juliet up and down. Not that she would be able to see anything, other than the top of Harrison's pyjamas, but Juliet still pulled the duvet up towards her chin.

'You're certainly very beautiful,' Juliet said. 'Have ... have you and Harrison been together long?'

'Why thank you, Juliet. That's so sweet of you. And your freckles are really cute. Goodness. Sometimes it feels as if we've been together forever. He and my brother Charlie are the best of friends. But it's only been four years. We work together too. I've known Luke for years, of course, but I'm here to meet their grandfather. Do you know him? I hear you lived here once. Before you and your family fell on hard times. I feel for you. That must be awful to come from a house such as this and end up in a tiny little cottage. So very sad.'

Juliet was enraged, but she forced a smile. 'I have wonderful memories of this house, but we were only saying yesterday that none of us miss the upkeep of this place. The draughts, the smoky chimneys, rattling windows and such. The cottage is so warm and cosy. We love it there. In fact, I love it so much I'm actually moving back. I've been living and working in Bristol since I went to uni there. But my heart will always be in Mistletythe, and Mistletoe Row in particular. As for Rufus. Yes, I know him, but I haven't seen him for years, and I can't say I'm sorry about it. I don't want to seem rude, but I'm really very tired. And Harrison insisted I get plenty of sleep.'

The smile on Kiki's lips wavered momentarily but it was soon set back to stun. Or perhaps Juliet was judging her too harshly. Perhaps the smile wasn't as false as it looked.

'Of course. And he said the same to me. “We need to make sure she gets plenty of sleep, so that she can leave tomorrow,” were his words to me before he sent me in here. Sweet dreams, Juliet. We'll raise a glass of champagne to you feeling better. Lovely to meet you.'

'And you, Kiki. Good night.'

Juliet heard the door close tight as Kiki left the room.

'And good riddance. You may be beautiful, but I think you're a bit of a bitch.'