Mother’s Day! She had temporarily forgotten about that. Well, she wouldn’t be getting anything from George this year, that was for sure. If he had even thought of sending a card, it would be at the flat, stuck in the tray in the hall, unless Prue had already sent it on. And that meant she wouldn’t see it until at least Monday or Tuesday. No, she might as well go along to the hall and support the local produce show. It would kill two birds with one stone as well, as she still hadn’t sampled Faith’s famous Victoria sponge cake, which she felt sure would be on offer, and probably taking pride of place among the winning entries.

Chapter 18

PRUE

The lights twinkled on the water as Prue and Aaron stood side by side in the pod and the Eye rose up and over in a wide, slowly circling arc, so slowly in fact that Prue could hardly detect any movement at all.

‘See. I told you it was worth doing,’ Aaron said, skipping over to the other side to get a better look at the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, the tower still enveloped in scaffolding while its restoration works went ahead. ‘Nothing to make you feel sick. Just brilliant views. Lots of things to take photos of, right?’

She had to agree that any initial reservations had been totally unfounded, and this was indeed a great vantage point from which to see London in a whole different way. Her camera had hardly left its position clamped to her eye since they’d set off.

‘It’s great. Thanks.’

‘What for?’

‘Being my guide. Looking after me.’

‘You don’t need looking after, just pointing in the right direction.’

‘Maybe.’ She spotted someone walking on the embankment below, dressed from head to toe in garish yellow tartan, trying to keep his kilt down in the wind, and she couldn’t resist taking a few sneaky close-ups with her zoom. That image would make a wonderful greetings card, if only she was any good at writing funny captions.

‘Heard anything from home?’ Aaron asked, following her gaze and laughing at what he saw.

‘Just a thank-you text from my mum. For her present. Not that she was meant to open it until tomorrow, but that’s what she’s like. Can’t resist delving straight in. No patience. She did try calling earlier but I only have the phone on for a little while at a time so I must have missed the call.’

‘Why?’

‘Why what?’

‘Why don’t you keep your phone on? I never turn mine off, unless the battery dies.’

‘Ah, but I’m trying to escape from people, not leave myself open to them morning, noon and night. I want to be in some sort of control. Who I talk to, and when.’

‘This is about your ex, I guess?’

‘Got it in one. The last thing I need is Joe Barton calling me, thinking he can get hold of me whenever he wants to, messing with my head.’