‘Thank goodness!’ Jez muttered. ‘Oh, thank bloody goodness!’ He ran to cuddle each child in turn, feeling near to tears with this second lifting of a burden of worry.

Kevin got out of the second car and went to open the door of Tom’s house.

‘I think I’d better come and help you till Jane’s better,’ Andi said to Tom. She smiled down at Hayley. ‘Would you let me look after you?’

Hayley nodded, exhausted now.

‘I’ll carry her,’ Kevin said. ‘She must be heavy.’

But Hayley clung to Andi, so she continued towards the house, talking softly to the child.

Two hours later, with the children fed, washed and in bed, Tom and Andi went to sit down for a rest.

‘I can’t thank you enough,’ he said.

‘It’s good to be of use.’

‘You all right?’ He gave her a searching look.

She knew exactly what he meant. ‘I’m getting there. In a strange way, it helped today, that I could do something useful, I mean.’

‘I can never thank you enough.’

She grinned. ‘You could try offering me a cup of coffee. That’d be a start.’

He chuckled, something he hadn’t expected to do for a while.

Jez went to fetch Sophie from the hospital and check for himself that Jane was all right. She was, but annoyed that they were keeping her in overnight.

As they sat in the back of the taxi, separated from the driver by a glass partition, he brought Sophie up to date on what they’d found out about Talbin.

‘So we have a happy ending on all fronts,’ she said.

‘Yes.’

‘What about Gail?’

He shrugged. ‘I can’t pretend to much interest in her. The sooner Tom’s rid of her the better. Sounds like she needs medical treatment. She’ll be charged for attacking Jane, as well as for kidnapping. It’ll be up to the courts to decide what happens to her.’

‘Are the kids all right?’

‘Yes. Thanks to your daughter. She’s staying at Tom’s to help.’

She cuddled up to him with a sigh. ‘That’s good. Your place or mine?’

‘Better go to my place, if you don’t mind. Everyone else is there and we have a few loose ends to tie up yet. I’m not sure if Tom has rung his mother. She won’t be easy to deal with. And until it’s proven that Talbin arranged my damned intruder, my security staff are insisting on maximum care still.’

‘That’s OK. But I warn you, I’m tired and I won’t be much good for anything but sleeping.’

He smiled. ‘As long as we’re sleeping together.’ Then his smile faded. ‘I can’t believe how quickly you and I have got together. I’m a bit afraid of the bubble bursting.’

She looked up at him from the shelter of his arm. ‘It happened to me like this the first time. I met Bill, fell in love, no hassles, no quarrels – well, only little ones – and we were together in every way. Trust me, Jez. It can happen. And it feels the same this time.’