There were tears in Amelia’s eyes too, and even Frankie gave a sniff. Working the crowd, Claudia spread her arms wide. Amelia let out a sob and raced into her embrace. There was a collective gasp, and a sigh of relief from Henry; he had his money shot. Only Leanne remained unmoved.

‘We’ve spent the last year not knowing who we owed for saving our girl,’ explained Kathryn. She had a crumpled tissue in her hand and blew her nose. ‘It doesn’t seem enough, but thank you, Claudia. Thank you.’

Claudia had cupped Amelia’s face in her hands. ‘It was Amelia’s determination to get back to you as much as anything. I did what I could.’

‘Do you remember the light?’ asked Amelia.

‘Oh, sweetheart,’ Claudia said. ‘All I remember is you. I was scared you weren’t going to make it. You were such a fighter.’

‘What light?’ asked Leanne, unwilling to gloss over the finer details that would make or break Claudia’s claims.

‘The torch. She gave me a torch.’

‘She’s never mentioned it before,’ Kathryn said, in response to Leanne’s quizzical look. To her daughter she added, ‘Are you remembering something new, love?’

Amelia’s brow furrowed. ‘I think so. Claudia gave it to me to hold while she dug me out. I was crying.’

‘Could it have been a light from a phone?’ suggested her mum.

‘No, it was a proper one.’

‘You didn’t mention a torch,’ Leanne said casually to Claudia.

Ignoring the question, Claudia stood up to check her husband’s reaction to the unfolding scene. It was a reminder to them all that whilst Kathryn had her daughter, the Rothwell’s remained childless. Claudia gave Justin’s hand a squeeze.

‘The torch?’ Leanne asked again. Claudia’s misdirection had bought her time, but she wasn’t going to evade the question completely.

Claudia’s sigh had a hint of exasperation. ‘I’m a bit like Amelia. I remember snapshots, and it’s hard to put everything in order.’ She glanced at Frankie’s phone, trained on their little group. ‘All the ushers had torches.’

‘No, it was a little one,’ Amelia said. ‘It was on a key ring.’

Claudia’s expression was fixed. There was a smile of sorts. ‘And do you remember what I said to you?’ she asked. ‘I told you to keep it safe. I told you it was going to lead us out.’

‘Yes, you kept talking to me,’ Amelia said eagerly. ‘What else did you say?’

Claudia’s smile broadened. ‘I said you were very brave. I said you were going to see your mum again very soon.’

Amelia turned to her mum. ‘She did. I kept closing my eyes, but she was still there when I opened them again.’

‘I couldn’t leave you,’ Claudia replied, her words thick with emotion.