‘I took a taxi down to Winchester. I went to see Josh’s grave. I wanted to go there, just once, on my own, say my goodbyes. And his son was there. Connor.’

Claire’s eyes widened in alarm. She touched Suki’s arm. ‘Are you all right? He didn’t hurt you?’

‘No. He didn’t. It was raining. We talked in his car.’ Suki thought of Connor, of his barely repressed fury, of his very handsome face that reminded her so much of Josh’s.

‘Suki, please stay away from him. I don’t know what he’s capable of, but I know his mother and, believe me, she’d stop at nothing to do us harm.’

‘I know.’ Suki sat on the couch, drew her mother down beside her. ‘Mom, I told him what happened to you. And his mother’s part in it.’

‘Oh God.’ Claire put a hand to her mouth. ‘You didn’t.’

‘Yeah, I did. I’m sick of them painting you as the villain of the piece. You were the victim, Mom. They hurt you, and it was all her work.’

‘And . . . did he believe you?’

‘I don’t know.’ Suki shook her head tiredly. ‘I don’t think so. But at least now he knows.’

Claire eyed her daughter’s face. She hadn’t told Suki, but she’d been so scared to come back here. Terrified. She feared Shauna, knew what she could do. When she’d got the letter from the solicitor, she’d agonized over it. She was frightened to come back, but she owed it to Josh to be there for the reading of the will. So she’d shown up, done what was expected of her. She hadn’t wanted to. The whole experience had been fraught, bringing back hateful memories.

‘Your dad and your sister still live at the camp, don’t they?’ asked Suki.

A shaft of pain lanced through Claire at Suki’s words. Mum wasn’t there, not any more. She was dead. It hit her again, the anguish of that cold hard fact. But her dad was still there. Trace probably was, too.

‘Maybe,’ said Suki tentatively, ‘you can visit them? See them again? Wouldn’t you like that?’

Claire bit her lip. She would love to see Pally and Trace again, but she was fearful. They must hate her for abandoning them as she had. They knew nothing of Shauna’s threats. It must have seemed to them that she’d just kicked them coldly aside, and she didn’t anticipate a warm welcome. Added to that, she still felt it was safer for them if she didn’t go near. She knew all too well the kind of low lifes Shauna mixed with, and they could be watching Claire’s movements even now.

No. It was safer to let Shauna think that Claire was totally detached from her family. That way, they were protected.