Before Libby had been kidnapped and held for ransom, my predominant, enduring trait had been cynicism. I expected the worse and that’s usually what I got. Maybe because that was all I was looking for. But I didn’t feel that way any more. Now I had real faith that I genuinely could make a difference, that I could make life better for most people in Albion. I had faith in all I could do and who I could be. I had faith in the new me, and in Callie, and the two of us together. I had faith that, with Callie by my side, we’d be able to move mountains. I had faith that I would love her for all eternity. I’d given her my whole heart and, if she truly trusted me with hers, then I could not only fly but soar.

For the first time, I had faith.

And hopefully, one day, someday, the guilt I felt at what had happened to Callie’s mum would if not disappear, then at least dissipate. Because, even though Callie had never reproached me with a single look, word or action, we both knew Sephy’s death was on me. Sephy had stepped in front of Jon’s bullet to save me. I would never forget that. In saving my life, Sephy and her daughter now owned me eternally – heart, body and soul. It was now my lifetime mission to prove to Callie that her mum’s sacrifice hadn’t been wasted. Life was good – and it could only get better. Hallelujah!

The intercom button on my phone began to flash. With a sigh, I pressed it.

‘Yes, Jade?’

‘Sir, the Defence Secretary has arrived for your three-thirty meeting,’ my personal assistant announced.

‘Send her in,’ I said. ‘And, Jade, I’d love a cup of coffee, please.’

‘Yes, sir.’

sixty-eight. Troy

It’d been snowing almost non-stop for the past three days and was now so thick it was up to my calves. A serious winter shout. Hopefully it would last a while. I loved fresh, falling snow. There was something so quiet, so calming about it. I was out in the back garden, sitting on a swing, using my heels to twist my body and the swing’s chain round and round until it couldn’t be tightened any more. Then I lifted my feet, closed my eyes and let the chain unravel at speed, spinning me in the process. I hadn’t done this since I was a kid. Now I couldn’t stop. Though the snowfall was taking a temporary break, the clouds above were a curious deep grey-white, perfectly still and waiting for just the right moment to dump more snow onto the world below. Knowing I didn’t have long before either Nana Meggie or my sister called me inside, I was making the most of my solitude. It didn’t last long.

‘May I join you?’