Anyways, when I wasn’t working, believe it or not I was at school, turning up randomly after being away for a week or two, and the teachers would say, “Where you been, Archie?” “Did you bring a note from your mother?” Once or twice the head called me in for a chat, but it never really came to anything. You see, I never acted up or caused trouble like some of the others; I wasn’t violent, or disruptive, or a threat to their points system. When I was there I just kept my shit together and did the work. Otherwise I think they’d have excluded me for all my absences, but that only happened a couple of times and they always took me back.

I’m going to stop this letter now because I have to be somewhere, but I’ll give it to Dan the next time he comes so he can “clean it up,” as he puts it.

Before he leaves I’ll ask him how you are, and I expect he’ll tell me, and then I’ll wish I hadn’t brought it up. It always goes like that, but I can’t just say nothing, can I, not when I’m doing this for you even if it never ends up getting to you.

Chapter Nine

As Claudia drove up to Westleigh Heights, following the directions Andee had texted her, she was doing her best to spot any “For Sale” signs outside the properties she passed. This was one of the areas where she, her mother, and Jasmine had agreed they’d like to settle, on the edge of town, close to the moor, and overlooking the bay. However, homes here didn’t come up often and there didn’t seem to be anything new to the market today.

Finally reaching the billboard she’d been told to look out for announcing an exclusive development of eight detached residences each with half an acre of land, she indicated to turn in. Fifty meters or so along a wide dirt track pitted with puddles and potholes she arrived at what she presumed to be the unfinished show home. Its style was mock Tudor, not exactly to her taste, but it was certainly striking and would probably turn out to be quite impressive on completion.

As she parked alongside a sleek black Mercedes, a tall, dark-haired woman in a padded raincoat and welly boots appeared from around the side of the house and waved a greeting.

Waving back, Claudia ran to the boot of her car, gathered up her heavy fabric-sample books and the holdall containing the tools of her trade, and ran through the wind and drizzle to where the woman was now waiting at the unvarnished front door.

“Hi, you must be Claudia.” She smiled warmly. “I’m Andee. Lovely to meet you.”