‘Then maybe not.’ They were quiet, watching the sun sinking on the horizon, among floating bands of apricot and gold. ‘England,’ said Aunt Ginny quietly. She let out a sigh. ‘Wouldn’t that be something?’

‘It would,’ agreed Suki, with a lump in her throat. Aunt Ginny was the best of the best, she deserved good fortune. Without her stern and practical old spinster aunt, what would have become of her? Suki really didn’t know. It frightened her to think of it.

‘Listen,’ said Aunt Ginny, rummaging in her dress pocket. She pulled out an envelope and handed it to Suki. ‘You take this.’

‘What is it?’ Suki stared at it. Her name was printed on the envelope in Aunt Ginny’s meticulously neat hand: SUKI.

Aunt Ginny was shaking her head, making it’s nothing gestures with her hands. ‘Open it when I’m gone,’ said Aunt Ginny.

Suki felt her innards gripped by fear. She knew Aunt Ginny was failing, and so did Aunt Ginny. Suki thought her aunt must be so scared, and her eyes filled with tears at that.

‘Now don’t you go making a fuss,’ said Aunt Ginny in a scolding voice. ‘We don’t want tears, none of that. You stay strong, girl. You’re twenty-three years old with everything ahead of you. Be grateful for that.’

‘You’ll outlive me,’ said Suki, feeling choked with emotion. They both knew it was a lie.

‘Happen I will,’ said Aunt Ginny. ‘But if I don’t, you open that letter and read it, OK?’

Suki nodded. She was too upset to trust herself to speak. She’d already lost her mom and dad, and the thought of losing Aunt Ginny too terrified her. She put the envelope in her dress pocket and tried to forget about it.

More than anything, Suki wished she had the money to treat Aunt Ginny to something as luxurious as a world cruise. Maybe one of these days a miracle would happen and she would. Who knew?

But it was not to be. Aunt Ginny’s chest finally gave out and she died six weeks later. She never saw England after all.

70

70

‘You been on those bloody things again,’ said Connor when he met up with Joey Minghella at the Blind Beggar in the New Year.

‘What you talkin’ about?’ asked Joey, squinting at Connor as they stood together at the bar getting the round in.

Connor gave his employee an old-fashioned look. ‘The bloody ecstasy, you twonk. Busy weekend?’

‘Went clubbing, yeah,’ said Joey.

Connor shook his head. Joey Minghella might appear grown up, but his head was still somewhere up his arse. A dazzlingly good-looking eighteen, Joey had been doing drops for Connor, but now Connor was planning on dropping him.