Instead, she saw the twitcher on the other side of the river, closer now, squatting down beside a bush, his binoculars trained on her. Lauren sat up with a jolt. Her eyes strained to see in the strong sunshine and she lifted her hand to her brow to provide some shade. The man no longer wore his hat and Lauren was sure that she recognised the shock of black hair. Wasn’t he the very same man who’d been lurking around behind Zak’s cottage this morning?

The man stood up. Oh. Now she recognised him well enough. How could she not? And it wasn’t just from this morning.

And, at that moment, Jude threw off his coat, jumped into the river and began to wade across to where she was.

Chapter 100

Chapter 100

I sit on the edge of my bed and tip out the notes and coins from my old handbag. Slowly, methodically, I count out my stash. I have one thousand, five hundred and five pounds. All spread out on the duvet before me.

There’s another five hundred pounds to go to the fund which is my company contribution and which they’re paying direct. Making it two thousand and five pounds in total.

How many weeks before we’re due to go to Peru? How long before I have to come up with the money? I work it out on my fingers.

Am I going to have enough time to earn this all over again? Could I start from scratch now and still muster up another two grand? If we could do the car wash – yes, possibly. From sandwiches and cakes – possibly not. Unless I begin to force-feed all of my colleagues.

What with my foot and now this, I don’t know why I don’t just lie down, roll over and admit defeat.

I want to phone Lauren. She’d motivate me – tell me what to do. But I can’t disturb her. She’s gone away for a few days’ peace and quiet and I can’t burden her with my problems when she has more than enough of her own. Plus she would instruct me to tell Chelsea to get stuffed, and I know that I couldn’t do that to my older sister, not now that she’s desperate for money and, for the very first time in her life, she’s come to me for help.