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Chapters (60)
  1. CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR LEIGH RUSSELL
  2. Glossary of acronyms
  3. Prologue
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. Acknowledgements

There was a slight hiatus. Ella held her breath. Jessica had pots of money and so far she had been almost unbelievably generous. Of course, she thought she was helping Ella out with supplies of milk and nappies – endless nappies – all for the baby, but that was only partly true. Jessica’s contribution meant Ella could afford more than her usual meagre fare, and Ella had begun to dread the day when her friend’s generosity ran out. This could be the moment when she shook her head and refused to part with another penny, and Ella was down to her last packet of cigarettes. But Jessica reached for her bag and took a fistful of notes from her purse. Ella tried not to gawp as Jessica counted out five twenty-quid notes and handed them over.

‘Is that enough?’ she asked.

When Ella hesitated, Jessica added another note. Somehow Ella resented her more than ever. She was loaded, without having done anything to deserve her good fortune. It wasn’t Jessica she hated so much as life that was so unfair. What had Jessica done to deserve all that? She had been born to a rich father, that was all. But Ella still had something Jessica didn’t have. Ella had her baby. Her face twisted in a smile as she pocketed the cash. Jessica rose to her feet, dabbed gingerly below her eyes so as not to smudge her make-up and took her leave, promising to return the next day.

As soon as the front door closed behind Jessica, Ella burst into tears of relief. She was not used to having visitors in her flat, and Jessica’s presence made her nervous. Ella did feel sorry for her friend, but she wished she wouldn’t come round so often. Sniffling to herself, she went to the kitchen for a drink and a smoke. With a lit cigarette in the corner of her lips, she screwed up her eyes against the thread of smoke rising into the stale air of the kitchen, and carefully hid the cash in a jar of tea leaves. Fortified with beer and nicotine, she checked all the doors were locked, before flopping down on the sofa. No sooner had she begun to doze than she was woken by the sound of a baby crying.

13

13

‘What is it?’ Anne asked. ‘What’s happened?’

He knew she was thinking about the baby. That was all she had been thinking about for days. He glared at her for a moment, too wound up to say a word.

‘It’s unspeakable,’ he spluttered at last. ‘They could have caused a serious accident. Jesus, someone could have been killed.’

‘David, what are you talking about?’

He sat down, feeling shaken, his anger giving way to what he could only assume to be some kind of delayed shock.

‘I’ll put the kettle on and then you’re going to tell me what’s happened,’ Anne fussed.