Claudia wore a dark trouser suit and a white silk shirt that emphasised the red stain of embarrassment creeping across her neck and cheeks. She batted away the applause as she made her way to the podium, and took her time adjusting the microphone. She didn’t dare lift her gaze as she shuffled her papers.

A woman with mousy brown hair and a floral dress who had been flanking Claudia, quickly poured a glass of water from a carafe and handed it to her.

‘Thanks, Yvonne,’ Claudia said, before facing front. ‘Hello, everyone.’

She took a sip of water as she waited for the second round of applause to die down. ‘This is all too much, and I know a lot of you are here today because you’ve read the piece in Saturday’s Courier, but I’m sorry, I’m not going to answer any further questions in that regard.’ She glanced towards Leanne and nodded. ‘I’ve said all I want to say.’

If they had been alone, Leanne might have put a hand on Claudia’s arm and apologised for the distraction caused by her article, but it had been necessary. The truth had to be told. Heroes had to be celebrated. It was time for Claudia to accept that, and Leanne too.

‘I’m glad that Amelia Parker is happy and healthy,’ Claudia continued, ‘but we’re two days away from marking the anniversary of the fire. It’s going to be a painful milestone for Sedgefield, and I hope we can all play our part in making the memorial service a fitting tribute. It’s taken a lot of hard work to get to this point, and our challenges aren’t over yet. If you’ve seen the weather reports, you’ll be aware that the storm we hoped was moving south, seems to have veered north, but come what may, we intend to go ahead with our plans. Now, if you could all turn to the press packs Yvonne has circulated.’

Despite initial nerves and a wobble in her voice, Claudia was commanding the room. Disgruntled journalists flicked through pages of information that detailed the line-up for Wednesday’s event. The pack included biographies of those taking part, and quotes from others directly affected by the tragedy, explaining why the memorial was so important to them. Claudia was determined to divert attention away from herself and seemed to be getting her way.

There were one or two quiet groans when Claudia stepped down from the podium and invited the treasurer to go through the finances. On the face of it, Hilary was about to bore the room rigid, but the rise in donations was eyewatering. The fund had grown exponentially in line with Claudia’s press exposure, and it was little wonder that the plans for the service had been supersized in recent weeks. They had more money than they could possibly need.