Now most of Marcy’s eclectic assortment of furniture, along with much else that had been collected over the years, had been sold with the house, and like Claudia and Jasmine she’d brought only her most precious possessions to Kesterly. However, she had almost three million pounds in her new bank account after cashing in all her other investments, so she could consider herself a wealthy woman by anyone’s standards. And if her small fortune was combined with the profits from the sale of Claudia’s business and the cash in the attaché case in the back of the car—presuming it wasn’t counterfeit—it was fair to say that right now money was the least of their problems.

As Claudia climbed out of the BMW and stretched her too-thin limbs after the long drive, her eyes closed as she found herself assailed by the warm, pungent scent of salty sea air mixing with the sweetness of cotton candy and the metallic taste of traffic fumes. She could hear the hum of the tide surging along with the sound of engines, a musical merry-go-round somewhere close by, and the laughter of holidaymakers enjoying the beach. It reminded her of how calming and welcoming she’d found this place the last time they were here—and it was working its magic again.

It was her mother’s voice that broke the spell and, turning to see her coming down the front steps of the villa, Claudia’s heart swelled with love and relief. When had she ever needed her mother more? And when had her mother ever let her down?

“Nana,” Jasmine cried and ran straight into her grandmother’s outstretched arms. Marcy was a picture of sixty-four-year-old elegance with short fair hair, warm brown eyes, and a smile that was so like Claudia’s there could never be any doubting their relationship. And dressed as she was now in blue-striped Capri pants and a baggy white T-shirt, she looked almost as young and sprightly as her teenage self must have been.

“Are you OK?” she asked, coming to embrace Claudia. “You look tired.”

“A bit,” Claudia admitted, hugging her hard.

“It’s stressful,” Jasmine put in, “when you’re afraid you’ve got someone after you.”

Through a smile Marcy reminded her to keep her voice down, and following Claudia to the boot of the car, she reached for the brown leather attaché case. “I presume this is it?” she said quietly.

Claudia nodded. She should have left it behind.

“OK, I’ll take it in,” Marcy said, and winced as she discovered how heavy it was. “You two bring the rest of your things.”

“Did my new music stand arrive yet?” Jasmine asked, shouldering a holdall and picking up another.