They are happy. They are all safe and they are all happy. She can see it in their smiles, in their laughter, in the clutching of their hands and the motion of their limbs.

And there, standing to one side of the meadow, is Zoe. Zoe is watching them dance and she, too, is smiling. All of her girls are smiling.

She feels something soft against her cheek, something soft and smooth and warm, and there is comfort in it, a comfort that goes beyond words. And the warmth seeps through her cheek and down her neck, across her shoulders, into her chest, weaving itself through her ribs until her whole body is infused with it.

Behind her closed eyes, she turns her head to follow the movement of her dancing girls, but the glare of the sun bathes the scene in a light too bright for her to penetrate. Too light, too bright for her to see her girls anymore.

She watches them disappear and whispers a silent goodbye.

Acknowledgments

Second novels are notoriously tricky beasts, and I owe thanks to an army of people who have encouraged and supported me over the past few years.

Thanks to my agent, Sheila Crowley, who always reassured me that she would stick by me until I found the book I was meant to write: we got there in the end! Thanks to all at Curtis Brown, particularly Abbie Greaves and Luke Speed.

Eternal thanks to my editor, Harriet Bourton, for believing in me and this book. You really are the very best of editors and it’s no exaggeration to say that your creative input has been transformative. If this were an Oscar speech, I would say I was sharing the award with you.

To all at Orion who have been such passionate champions, guardians, and promoters of this novel: Poppy Stimpson in publicity and Katie Moss in marketing for their tireless creativity and boundless enthusiasm; Bethan Jones for guiding the book (and me) through the process; Susan Howe, Jessica Purdue, and Krystyna Kujawinska in the rights team for a fantastic lineup of foreign deals; Jen Wilson, Rachael Hum, and the whole sales team; Maggy Park, Dominic Smith, and, the fantastic sales reps; Paul Stark and Amber Bates in audio; Ruth Sharvell in production; Charlotte Abrams-Simpson for the gorgeous cover; and the Orion bigwigs, Katie Espiner and Sarah Benton, for allowing me to be published by the best team in the business.

Enormous thanks to my American publisher, HarperCollins, for bringing the book to a US audience with such enthusiasm and passion, especially to Tessa Woodward and Elle Keck in editorial, Molly Waxman in marketing, Jessica Lyons in publicity, and Rachel Meyers in production editorial.

So many people in publishing and journalism have become friends over the past few years (and have often provided me with gainful employment). Thanks to Georgina Moore, Alison Barrow, Charlotte Heathcote, Lisa O’Kelly, Nina Pottell, and Sara-Jade Virtue: the profession is so much better for having you all in it. Sincere thanks, too, to Mari Evans for invaluable advice and encouragement when I was very much in need of it.