‘Collect her now?’ Beth’s heart rate increases. She’s two hours away from school. ‘Why is Ava upset?’

‘It’s nothing really, a storm in a teacup, but there was a young man hanging around the playground at break time.’

‘What?’ A moan escapes from Beth’s lips. Please don’t let it be Mark. ‘What do you mean hanging around?’ she presses. ‘Please God, tell me he didn’t touch her.’ A wave of nausea rolls over her and she grabs the radiator to steady herself. She wishes it would burn her, but it’s cold.

‘No! Well, we don’t think so,’ Mrs Gilbert admits. ‘It was actually a member of the public who noticed him, through the gate, screamed at him apparently. That alerted the playground supervisor who sent him on his way. It was over in seconds, but unfortunately it seems as though he said a few things to Ava before he left. Miss Lewis should have called the police of course; she’s extremely apologetic, just acted on instinct, she said.’

‘What did he look like?’ Beth interrupts, trying to keep her voice steady. ‘What did he say?’ There’s a pause on the line and Beth eyes the tap, the promise of scalding water. Eventually Mrs Gilbert sighs and continues.

‘Late teens, lanky and a bit, you know, unkempt, is how Miss Lewis described him. But I’m afraid we don’t know what he said. Ava didn’t want to tell us. She keeps asking for you, and her tig-tig.’

Beth scrunches her eyes together. The receptionist has described Mark. She pictures tig-tig, the cloth tiger that has been Ava’s most reliable source of comfort since she was a toddler, faded from so many washes over the years. Currently lying on Ava’s bed. ‘I’m not in London,’ she finally admits. ‘And it’s going to take me a couple of hours to get back.’

‘Ah, I see.’ Was that disapproval in the receptionist’s tone, or understanding? ‘Well, of course we can keep Ava here until then,’ she continues. ‘She can sit with me in reception. I’m sure you’ll get back as quickly as you can, and she’ll survive until then.’

Beth pulls the phone away from her ear and focuses on her breathing. She imagines Ava sat next to that uncaring woman for two hours, too traumatised to repeat whatever Mark said to her. Beth can’t bear the thought of it. But she can’t ask Lara to collect Ava because she’s Christmas shopping with her mum today. And she daren’t ask Saskia with her hack nose.