‘I don’t know what I think, Danny. Or – or whoever you are. I don’t know anything any more.’

‘Listen, Rose. There’s nothing I can do to help him. He might get off, there’s a chance. But I swear, it was nothing to do with me; our paths just happened to cross. I’ve told them what I know, and the rest is down to the court. And I know I did the wrong thing with you, and I’m sorry for that. I swear.’ He hugged me. ‘I should never have come near you, Rose.’

He pulled me close and I clung to him. I knew he had betrayed me, but for a moment I clung on like my life depended on it. He kissed me once, on the lips, and this time he felt hot. His skin was hot, and somewhere, faintly, the lemon sherbet tasted bitter-sweet.

‘I shouldn’t have come near you,’ he murmured into my hair. Then he opened the door. ‘I shouldn’t – but I had to.’

‘Danny,’ I said urgently, and he turned. ‘What’s your name? Your real name?’

‘They call me Cal.’

‘Cal?’

‘I was born on the banks of the river Callendar.’ He smiled at me. I’d so rarely seen him smile. ‘That’s where we stayed. My family. Ma was a bit poetic, you see. Just call me Cal.’

And then he was gone. Somewhere deep inside, my instincts screamed; I knew I’d never see him again.

Chapter Thirty-Four

‘That fucking barrister,’ Liam kept saying. ‘Fucking ugly bitch.’

I clinked the ice around my glass, round and round it went. I tried to concentrate on Liam’s words as a group of laughing men came through the pub door. I turned abruptly at the sound of a Scottish accent. It wasn’t him; of course it wasn’t. Danny was long gone. I bit my lip hard. The pain took my mind off him for about a minute.

‘It was a fucking set-up, James was right,’ Liam was slurring in the background. ‘They fucking massacred me. That fucking bitch barrister made it sound like we’re just a pair of lightweights messing around with drugs and ravers.’ Liam slammed his glass down on the table and almost missed; it nearly fell onto the floor. ‘How fucking dare she?’

‘What did you expect?’ I said wearily, pushing the glass safely home.

‘I don’t know. Not that. Poor bloody James. I can’t believe how shit this all is.’ Liam clutched my hand. He was drunk, really drunk. He swayed forward alarmingly, until gently I pushed him back. ‘He’s going to get off, Rose, I know it. He’ll be home soon.’

I patted his hand. ‘Let’s hope so, lovely. Let’s hope so.’

* * *