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‘And so handsome,’ Maud agreed. ‘A wonder he has so many lawsuits hanging over his head. I bet half the women in the country wish he was the father of their children.’

‘I don’t wish that level of fame on anyone,’ Mr. Wilson said. ‘Can you imagine having to deal with obsessive fans on a daily basis? When all you want to do is make people happy?’

Charlotte said nothing. She thought about the little box in her pocket, and the way James had behaved compared to during their previous meetings. Was she overthinking everything? Was James really as bad as Jacob claimed? Jacob had nothing good to say about his stepbrother at all, but while perhaps there was some truth to it all, it might have been embellished a little. James’s behaviour, once the mask slipped a little, was pretty good, after all.

Was Jacob just jealous?

After all, he rode a bicycle to work, whereas James rode in a Mercedes, a Rolls Royce and helicopters. Jacob made the minimum wage serving tea and cakes, while James raked in millions with sold out theatre tours and specials on Netflix.

She pulled out her phone and Googled James Steamblack, court case. Apart from the current two in progress, and one from three years ago, again a woman claiming paternity, which had been settled out of court, there was nothing else.

Could it be possible that Jacob had lied to her?

She went back to the teachers’ room and gathered her things. Several other teachers were still there, checking work, planning for tomorrow. Amy Clairmont was systematically sharpening a box of blunt pencil crayons, one after the other.

‘Has Paul Daniels gone?’

Charlotte couldn’t help but smile. ‘I just had to help him fit Wizbit into the car. The crows kept pecking him, thinking he was cheese.’

Amy grinned. ‘Honestly, don’t you find him slimy?’

Charlotte just shrugged, unsure what to say. At the back of the room, the door to the photocopying room opened and Jennifer emerged, a grin on her face.

‘Amy has a point,’ she said. ‘He just offered me a backstage tour.’

Charlotte glanced at Amy. ‘You don’t look so pleased about that.’

Amy scowled. ‘He didn’t offer one to me.’