In the last few days, she had been overwhelmed by the love directed towards her, and it had gone some way to make up for what Leanne had done to her. After reading the reporter’s profile on LinkedIn, Claudia had gone to great lengths to win Leanne over, and there was no disputing that their partnership had worked to both their advantages. She felt extremely let down.

What annoyed Claudia most was that Leanne was there to witness the incredible results of their combined efforts on Wednesday night in Victoria Park, and her response had been an attempt to ruin it. Setting up the surprise reunion had been bad enough, but Leanne’s parting shot had been downright cruel. What had she expected Claudia to say? ‘Fine, I admit it. I lied about Amelia, but only because I knew it was what you wanted to hear!’

It had been a test of nerves waiting to read the reporter’s write-up of the night, but rationally, Claudia knew she had nothing to fear. If Leanne were so convinced that Claudia was lying, why whisper it in her ear? Why go ahead with the farce of a reunion in the first place? Because she had no proof, a fact borne out by Saturday’s article. The Courier wasn’t going to kill the golden goose that kept the run-down rag in print. Claudia had the power. Leanne didn’t.

It would be interesting to know what had made Leanne turn against her, but it didn’t keep Claudia awake at night, nor did her conscience. For the best part of a year, she had worked hard to give the town what it needed, and that had included a hero for little Amelia. Where was the harm in that? She refused to allow Leanne to take the shine off her glory.

Picking up a tall glass from the side table, Claudia took a sip of the green slime that was apparently going to be a treat for her digestive system. It didn’t seem that long ago that a McDonald’s strawberry milkshake had done the same. How things had changed.

‘You’ll have nothing to do with yourself now,’ said Bryony.

‘I have a feeling the work has only just begun,’ she said, aware that her greatest weapon against the naysayers would be to continue her good deeds. ‘We have the administration of the hardship fund to figure out next. The money has been flooding in, and we have to find a way of getting it into the hands of the people who need it, and quickly.’

Bryony yawned. ‘My dear Claudia, you have to realise that the world is divided into two kinds of people. There are the thinkers, and there are the doers. You’ve done enough, and besides, it’s Sunday afternoon. We’re here to relax, remember?’

‘It may take more than one session.’