She was still smiling as she stepped from the train. The rain had not followed her from Norfolk. The air was quite warm, and the streets so well lit she could almost forget it was evening. How amazing it was that in just a short train ride it was possible to move between two such different worlds. Could she really leave the quiet little village she had lived in all her life and make London her home? Study here? Live here? Forge a new life for herself? It was certainly worth serious consideration. Flo would be quite content at Orchard House, and her cottage would still be there waiting for her when she returned. She could even think about renting it out to bring in some money and help pay her fees.

She stopped for a moment and looked at the list of colleges she had scribbled down. Most of them held open days and taster days, nearer to the start of the academic year, where she could see inside, ask questions and meet existing students, but she was feeling impatient. The nearest was only a couple of tube stops away, and she only had a small, light bag with her, most of her stuff having been left behind at Madi’s flat when she’d departed in such a hurry a week ago. It was not as if she had any other plans. Why not go there now? She could take a look at the campus, the general area, get a feel for the place. Her camera swung on its strap and bounced on her chest as if it too was eager to take a peek at the future. ‘You’re right, Camilla,’ she muttered, ‘no time like the present,’ as she swung her bag up onto her shoulder and headed back towards the underground.

With Easter only a week or so away, the term must have already ended, because there were very few people milling about. No obvious students anyway. Prue gazed up at the tall, modern buildings, so unlike the small, old-fashioned schools she had attended, and took photos of anything and everything that caught her eye. There was a noticeable lack of parking, which was to be expected in central London, so if she came here – or anywhere similar – she would have to leave her little Mini at home. Having managed without it for almost four weeks, that suddenly didn’t seem like much of a hardship, and actually getting rid of it could save her quite a bit in insurance, road tax, petrol and repairs. She could get a bike! Just as the thought popped into her head, one rode by, the young girl on top of it speeding along faster than any of the passing cars.

‘Oh, sorry.’ A man had bumped into her. He stopped and held out a hand to steady her. ‘My fault, for not looking where I was going.’

Prue was about to argue, knowing full well that she had been the one to stop dead in her tracks as the bike caught her attention, when she realised who he was.