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Chapters (86)
  1. Title Page
  2. CONTENTS
  3. Love
  4. Before
  5. One
  6. ONE
  7. Two
  8. TWO
  9. Three
  10. THREE
  11. Four
  12. FOUR
  13. Five
  14. FIVE
  15. Six
  16. SIX
  17. Seven
  18. SEVEN
  19. Eight
  20. EIGHT
  21. Nine
  22. NINE
  23. Ten
  24. TEN
  25. Eleven
  26. ELEVEN
  27. After
  28. One
  29. ONE
  30. Two
  31. TWO
  32. Three
  33. THREE
  34. Four
  35. FOUR
  36. Five
  37. FIVE
  38. Six
  39. SIX
  40. Seven
  41. SEVEN
  42. Eight
  43. EIGHT
  44. Nine
  45. NINE
  46. Ten
  47. TEN
  48. Eleven
  49. ELEVEN
  50. Twelve
  51. TWELVE
  52. Thirteen
  53. THIRTEEN
  54. Fourteen
  55. FOURTEEN
  56. Fifteen
  57. FIFTEEN
  58. Sixteen
  59. SIXTEEN
  60. Seventeen
  61. SEVENTEEN
  62. Eighteen
  63. EIGHTEEN
  64. Nineteen
  65. NINETEEN
  66. Twenty
  67. TWENTY
  68. Twenty-One
  69. TWENTY-ONE
  70. Twenty-Two
  71. TWENTY-TWO
  72. Twenty-Three
  73. TWENTY-THREE
  74. Twenty-Four
  75. TWENTY-FOUR
  76. Twenty-Five
  77. TWENTY-FIVE
  78. Twenty-Six
  79. TWENTY-SIX
  80. Twenty-Seven
  81. TWENTY-SEVEN
  82. Twenty-Eight
  83. TWENTY-EIGHT
  84. Eleven Months Later
  85. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  86. Copyright

The last time I was at this end of the beach was for the reaper party. It’s empty now, but I still insist that Poppy and I hide behind one of the coaches parked up on the road while Esen escorts Alfie Fuller across to Charon. If I had my way, we wouldn’t even be this close, but Poppy was determined to watch.

‘I can’t see anything from here,’ she says with a pout, poking her head out from behind the coach.

‘You can’t see anything, though, can you?’ I remind her, tugging her back by her sleeve. ‘I told you, only Esen and I can see Alfie. How do you think we can escort them down here without anyone noticing?’

Poppy looks genuinely disappointed. ‘I thought maybe.’

I hope maybe never, I think as Esen strides back to us, curls bobbing.

‘All good?’ I ask when she finds us behind the coach.

‘Won him over in the end, didn’t I?’

‘How is it that I’ve done over a dozen reaps with Dev and no one has ever done a runner?’

Esen just smiles and turns up the collar of her coat.

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We agree to go back to the bookshop, deciding that I should show my face before Deborah gets too suspicious. Poppy must be tired, because she suggests we take the bus back into town, but when we tell her that we prefer to walk as we’re less likely to draw attention to ourselves, she books a cab on her phone. I’m not entirely convinced that’s much better, but the driver is so embroiled in a heated discussion on his hands-free when he pulls up at Duke’s Mound that he barely looks at us as we clamber into the back seat.

When he drops us on North Road, Esen offers to stay with Poppy, who’s decided that she wants to try all the teas at Bird & Blend. Unless she chokes on a dried rose petal, she’ll be fine so, content that she’s safe with Esen, I head to the bookshop. As soon as I’m through the door, I say hello to Dev, who is lying on the sofa reading a book, a pair of chunky boots I’ve never seen her wearing resting on the arm. I turn to greet Deborah, but when I see that she isn’t behind the counter, I hesitate, looking around the bookshop to find that it’s just Dev and me. Deborah is always here – always – but before I can ask Dev where she is, she emerges from one of the stacks holding a feather duster.

‘Miss Persaud.’

She’s changed again, this time into a fitted white shirt that’s tucked into a pair of black cropped trousers and glossy brogues, and is very Audrey Hepburn.

‘How was the Manor?’ she asks, leaning against one of the bookshelves. ‘Any problems?’