‘For her, not me,’ she said.

Of all the things that Rick had done, what had surprised Willow the most was that he had been so organised as to have arranged an online will leaving everything to his child who was yet to be born. Who did that? Other than a complete control freak, was what Martha had said; what’s more, a control freak who didn’t want to leave anything to the mother of his child. When Willow had been informed of the existence of the will, it had reminded her how cross Rick had been when she had laughed about making a will herself.

‘Technically you’re right,’ said Lucas. ‘But as the child’s mother you will have access to funds to enable you to provide for her, so that’s something. And don’t forget those shares you have which you told me your father left you and the trust fund you’ll have access to before too long. If needs be you can cash those in. Now promise me you’ll accept Ellis’s offer so that I can go back to sleep.’

Willow knew that she would be mad to turn down the offer and really, what alternative did she have?

‘Okay,’ she said, ‘I will. Oh, and before I leave you to sleep, I’ve come up with a name for your niece.’

‘About bloody time,’ he said good-humouredly. ‘What is it?’

‘It’s Serenity. What do you think?’

‘I think it’s great, and very you. Now go and give Ellis the good news.’

‘I will,’ she said.

After she’d rung off, she looked around what was going to be her new home and began to visualise herself living here. It would, she had to admit, be perfect.

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Rick’s funeral service was held at the crematorium in Chichester four days before Christmas. The funeral directors had suggested that it might be better to put it off until January, but Willow wouldn’t be swayed; she didn’t want to start the new year with it hanging over her. It was a decision Martha and the rest of the family had fully supported, agreeing that it would be better to get it over and done with, and with as little fuss and bother as possible. Something else Willow had insisted on was that the service was held conveniently near Tilsham rather than in London. She’d said she had wanted to save them the bother of a depressing journey into town. Had the decision been down to Martha, she would have chucked Rick’s body into the Thames and left it at that!

It had been a perfunctory and austere service. The only mourners present, if you could call them that, were Mum, Ellis, Martha and Willow – with Serenity fast asleep in her pram. Tom couldn’t make it as he’d driven up to Yorkshire first thing this morning to stay at his sister’s before bringing his father back to spend Christmas with them. Tom’s sister and her husband were taking off to Antigua for the festive period.