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Back A Change of Circumstance
Chapters (67)
  1. Cover
  2. One
  3. Two
  4. Three
  5. Four
  6. Five
  7. Six
  8. Seven
  9. Eight
  10. Nine
  11. Ten
  12. Eleven
  13. Twelve
  14. Thirteen
  15. Fourteen
  16. Fifteen
  17. Sixteen
  18. Seventeen
  19. Eighteen
  20. Nineteen
  21. Twenty
  22. Twenty-One
  23. Twenty-Two
  24. Twenty-Three
  25. Twenty-Four
  26. Twenty-Five
  27. Twenty-Six
  28. Twenty-Seven
  29. Twenty-Eight
  30. Twenty-Nine
  31. Thirty
  32. Thirty-One
  33. Thirty-Two
  34. Thirty-Three
  35. Thirty-Four
  36. Thirty-Five
  37. Thirty-Six
  38. Thirty-Seven
  39. Thirty-Eight
  40. Thirty-Nine
  41. Forty
  42. Forty-One
  43. Forty-Two
  44. Forty-Three
  45. Forty-Four
  46. Forty-Five
  47. Forty-Six
  48. Forty-Seven
  49. Forty-Eight
  50. Forty-Nine
  51. Fifty
  52. Fifty-One
  53. Fifty-Two
  54. Fifty-Three
  55. Fifty-Four
  56. Fifty-Five
  57. Fifty-Six
  58. Fifty-Seven
  59. Fifty-Eight
  60. Fifty-Nine
  61. Sixty
  62. Sixty-One
  63. Sixty-Two
  64. Sixty-Three
  65. Sixty-Four
  66. Sixty-Five
  67. Sixty-Six

‘Sit down. It is. I want you to tell me what’s happening . . . You’re miles away a lot of the time, you look worried and you don’t have a laugh with us. Is it your dad? Because honestly, that’s a shit situation and I don’t blame you but you can’t let him get to you. He’s made his bed and I bet it’s bloody uncomfortable – honestly, why do men keep their brains in their trousers?’

Liv laughed in spite of herself.

‘Fat lot you know about men.’

‘Yes, well –’

‘I’m fine, really. I don’t care now.’

‘Liv . . .’

‘No, I don’t. I worry about my mum but she’s a lot better as well. Come on, I’m freezing.’

‘Only, if it isn’t that, if there’s something else, you can tell me. I won’t tell anyone else, not the others, nobody, I swear.’

‘I’m OK. There’s nothing. Well, I’ve had awful toothache for a month, it wakes me in the night, but I’m terrified of going to the dentist.’

‘Is that all?’

‘Sure.’

‘You doughnut, I’ll come with you, it’ll be fine. I’ll even hold your hand.’

Liv shoved her, she shoved back, chocolate splatted onto the path, and they went off arm in arm. The package was still in her inside pocket, the meeting with Fats was a block of cold stone in her stomach, but for now, she had convinced herself that nothing was wrong except an imaginary toothache.

Amelie knew that it was imaginary, knew Olivia too well to be fooled, knew that something was seriously wrong. Knew that there was no chance of her revealing what it was, not to her, not to anyone. She had known Liv since they were in reception, and even then, though she had never understood why, Liv had kept some things locked inside herself.

Fifteen

Cat drove up to the front door, but after switching off, did not move for several minutes – did not reach over to the back seat for her bag, which she had thrown there after her last call, did not open the car door, but just sat, eyes closed. The night air came in through the half-open window, smelling of frost. It was very still.

Since five that morning she had barely found time to eat, one call after another coming in. Luke was in London for the day, and she had not felt that she could pass on any of her calls to the new young doctor Concierge had taken on. Clemmy Rice was very good and would prove a great asset, but for now she lacked the experience to handle one unusual emergency after another in a long day.