‘You say the poor old cunt’s doolally, she’d probably just tell you it if you slapped her around a bit.’

Joey eyed them dubiously. This was getting a bit heavy, and he didn’t like it. Nicking the old girl’s cash was one thing, but beating the crap out of her?

‘Nah,’ he said. ‘Think I’ll leave it.’

‘Up to you,’ said his mate.

‘Yeah,’ said the other one.

104

104

Days passed in a contented haze, blending one into another. Josh and Claire took a leisurely lunch together and then strolled over to Turtle Pond in Central Park. After that, they went back to the hotel and made love all afternoon. They lay there as evening drew in, wrapped in each other’s arms until Josh stirred himself enough to ring down for room service. Then they showered together, kissing and caressing all the time, and emerged to eat. They drank wine, then fell into bed. Josh had never slept so well in his entire life. All the torment he’d felt, all the doubts and suspicions over Shauna, fell away from him and he was happy, spent, exhausted.

When he awoke in the morning to make love to Claire all over again, he knew that this was something beyond special. He watched her lying there dozing, her mouth open a little, her breathing gentle, her hair spread out silky and corn-gold on the pillow.

Claire, he thought, and got a flashback of her running, young and untroubled, ahead of him through the wild-flower meadows, her hair flying, her eyes teasing as she glanced back at him.

Catch me, Josh.

He’d never caught her then, but now – at last – he had. His heart lurched in his chest every time he caught sight of her. When she was away from him, he felt bereft. Lonely. This was deep, enduring love and now he’d rediscovered it he was never going to let it go.

She stirred, her eyes flickering open. They gazed up at him and her arm came up, her fingers brushing through the hair at the nape of his neck. He bent his head and kissed her. Thought of her mother, Eva, the funeral pyre . . . I have to tell her. But Claire was so happy, so content, that he couldn’t bear to ruin it for her.

Soon though, he thought. Soon, I will have to tell her.

‘Wake up, sleepy head,’ he murmured against her mouth. ‘We’ve got a busy day ahead.’

‘Doing what?’ She yawned.

‘Let’s rent a place together,’ said Josh.

‘What?’ Claire shot up in the bed and stared at him, blinking in surprise.