‘No way! Did you speak to her?’

‘Briefly, and I have a quote we can use. I’ll tell you all about it later. First, we need to get this over and done with.’

Leanne had lost sight of Claudia, but she could hear her announcing the finale; a school choir who would give a rendition of ‘Fields of Gold’. School kids dressed in black T-shirts had gathered in the wings, and Leanne recognised one of the volunteers organising them into line.

‘Here, hold my phone and watch out for Amelia,’ Leanne said, not wanting Amelia’s mum to track her location to a spot where Claudia would see them. ‘I won’t be long.’

Justin was watching his wife welcome the choir onto the stage when Leanne approached.

‘It’s gone really well, hasn’t it?’ she shouted into his ear.

Justin spun around and beamed a smile. ‘Isn’t it amazing? I can’t believe Claudia has pulled this off. She’s even managed to conquer the weather gods.’

‘You must be very proud of her.’

He nodded. ‘I am. And thank you for your support. A lot of tonight’s success can be credited to you and your articles.’

‘In that case, I wonder if you could do me a small favour?’ she asked, swallowing back her reservations about the reunion. ‘I don’t want to disturb Claudia now, but she promised us a post-event interview. Ideally, we’d like to catch her straight after the service.’

‘Not a problem,’ he said. ‘There are other journalists who’ve asked for a quote, but I’ll make sure she speaks to you first.’

Leanne pointed to where she would be waiting. ‘See you later then.’

‘Hold on a minute,’ he said, catching hold of her arm. ‘You might want to see this.’

A woman in a paramedic’s uniform had appeared next to them. She was holding a stunning bouquet of flowers. ‘Shall I go on now?’ she asked.

Justin took her hand and squeezed it. ‘The stage is yours.’

Claudia had been about to leave the stage and looked momentarily confused by the approaching paramedic. The choir had been prepped and their voices provided gentle background music as the woman handed over the bouquet and kissed Claudia’s cheek. She held Claudia’s hand to prevent her from rushing offstage.

‘I’ve been asked to say a few words,’ the paramedic began. ‘I know this service is for each and every one of us, but it would be wrong to end the night without reflecting on how much we appreciate Claudia Rothwell’s extraordinary efforts in bringing us all together, and to acknowledge that Claudia has had to battle with her own heartbreak.’