‘How long have you been with him?’

‘Just a few months, but Kevin’s been with him for ever. They knew each other as lads, I think. Ah, here we are.’

She let them into the suite with her key card and they heard voices from the living area, then Hayley’s high-pitched giggles.

‘Doesn’t sound as if they’re missing me,’ Tom said.

In the living area they found Jez on the floor, being a ‘horsey’ and giving Hayley a ride, with Ryan grinning widely as he held tight to Jane’s hand and waited for his turn. Both children were dressed and looked rosy, as if they’d just had a bath.

Ryan suddenly noticed his father and set off running across the room, yelling, ‘Daddy! Daddy!’ at the top of his voice.

Tom swung him up in his arms, then did the same to Hayley, grinning at Jez. ‘I see they’ve been making use of you already. I warn you, Hayley loves playing horses.’

Jez stood up, grinning ruefully and rubbing his bad leg. ‘Not sure I wasn’t a bit over-enthusiastic with that. How did you sleep?’

‘I had trouble dropping off, but then slept very soundly. How did the kids sleep, Jane?’

‘Like logs. Didn’t stir till seven o’clock, by which time I was up and ready for them.’

He turned to Jez, not wanting him to feel left out. ‘And you?’

‘Better than for a long time. Have you had breakfast? There’s food set out and you’ve just time to grab some before the lawyer arrives. We need to make sure we can keep these two rascals here.’

It was clear to Tom as the morning passed that Jez was used to being at the centre of activity. He never seemed to raise his voice, but he was the one people turned to for instructions and when he wanted to make himself heard, they listened. He seemed perfectly at ease having people round all the time. Tom wasn’t sure he’d like that.

In the end they all drove out to see the house, the lawyer included, as he wanted to check on the accommodation provided for Tom, the nanny and the children.

The main house was full of new furniture wrapped in plastic, old furniture covered in sheets and workmen installing some extra kitchen equipment under the watchful eye of a security guard. Jane approved their accommodation unreservedly, going pink with pleasure when she found that she’d have her own flat and saw how well-appointed it was.

‘Though you’ll have to tell security if you’re expecting visitors,’ Donna warned her. ‘Do you know anyone in the south?’

‘My niece lives in London. It’ll be lovely to catch up with her again.’

‘We’ll have to arrange a deputy nanny for your time off.’ Donna made a note of that.

‘Will there be guards on duty all the time?’ Tom asked, seeing yet another man in security uniform passing the window.

‘Yes. With so many people coming and going, we thought it better to hire extra people. After everything’s finished, we’ll just have one person on duty inside the house and we’ll rely mainly on the security system, which, if I know Kevin, will be state of the art.’