Leanne lowered her head. She didn’t believe any of it, but without Amelia’s corroboration, she wasn’t sure she had enough to publicly accuse Claudia of being an imposter, not without putting her professional neck on the line.

‘Here,’ said Amelia, handing Claudia the card she had been holding. ‘I made this for you.’

Amelia had written Claudia’s name on the envelope with a red felt-tip pen. The Courier’s readers would find it sweet that she had misspelled her hero’s name – and the reunion piece would undoubtedly be published, Leanne would never be able to convince Mal otherwise.

The card pulled from the envelope was just as saccharin, with a hand-drawn heart on the front enclosing two figures, one adult and one child-sized. There was a lengthy message inside and, as they waited for Claudia to finish reading it, Leanne made one last stab at uncovering the truth.

‘What happened to the torch, Amelia?’

The girl shrugged. ‘I gave it back.’

‘Do you still have it, Claudia? Where did it come from?’

Claudia pressed herself against her husband, apparently needing his support to keep her upright. ‘I carry all kinds of junk in my bag,’ she admitted. ‘You never know when it’s going to come in handy, and I guess I was right. I’ve no idea where it went.’

‘I could draw you a picture,’ Amelia said.

Claudia stifled a yawn. ‘Maybe another time,’ she replied. ‘I still have a few more interviews with the press before I can go home, but it was lovely meeting you again.’

‘Can we have some photos of both families?’ Henry suggested. When he noticed Leanne slinking away, he added, ‘And you too. Mal wanted one with you in the group.’

‘I don’t think so.’

‘Oh, come on, Leanne,’ said Claudia. ‘After everything you’ve done, it wouldn’t be complete without you.’

Leanne was minded to repeat her refusal, but she was forced into the huddle. Slipping behind Justin, she hoped to be lost in the background, but he noticed and stepped to the side. When Henry was satisfied with the pose, Leanne was standing with a hand resting on Amelia’s shoulder, and Claudia’s arm was around her waist. It was too much. Leanne couldn’t leave without saying something, so as the group disbanded, she pulled Claudia into a tight hug.

‘I know it wasn’t you,’ Leanne hissed quietly into her ear.

Claudia wouldn’t be shocked for a second time. She matched the force of Leanne’s embrace. ‘You know nothing about me.’

14