The foyer of the flats felt too bright. Lizzie blinked, disoriented all over again. What time was it? How long had it been since she and Johnny had gone out? She wanted to ask Jason but there was no way she was going to do that in front of the police.

“Ms Kingdom—” The paramedic was touching her arm. He was tall, lanky and laidback with a strong Liverpudlian accent. “It really would be a good idea to check your blood pressure and a few other things just to make sure you’re OK.” He glanced over his shoulder at the crowds outside. “I think mine would be sky-high if I had to cope with that lot,” he added with a grin.

“Thanks,” Lizzie said, “but I’m fine. I don’t want to waste any more of your time but thank you so much for coming out.”

“Well, if you’re sure...” He shrugged. “Can I have your autograph for my daughter? She loves your books.” He fished a dog-eared receipt out of one pocket and a biro out of the other, holding them out to her.

“Of course,” Lizzie said, taking them and scribbling “Lots of love from Lizzie Kingdom” on the crumpled paper. The weird disconnect between reality and what had happened down on the Embankment seemed to deepen. She couldn’t relate to either.

“Cheers for that,” the paramedic said, pocketing it deftly. With a wave he disappeared out into the street, shrugging off the eager questions and camera flashes.

“Thank you.” Lizzie turned her best smile on the policewomen, hoping they would follow suit. “I really appreciate your help and I’m sorry to have called you away from more important business.”

The police were not so easily dismissed. One rummaged in her pocket and snapped open a notebook whilst the other gestured Lizzie to a seat.

“Could we ask you a few questions, Ms Kingdom?”

“Of course.” Lizzie looked around. The reception was brightly lit; she felt as though she was in a goldfish bowl. “Would you like to come up to the flat? It’s a bit exposed here.”

“It’s fine.” The PCs directed her towards some chairs in a corner by the lifts. “We’ll only be a moment.”

Even sitting with her back to the window Lizzie thought she would be lit up like a Christmas tree. She could just imagine the pictures already circulating on Twitter.

“Would you tell us exactly what happened, please?” The first policewoman, PC Morgan, according to her badge, leaned in whilst the other sat with her pen poised. “Just for our report, so it’s clear.”

“Of course,” Lizzie said again. “I was with Johnny Robsart. He came to see me earlier for a chat. We walked down to the river together for a breath of fresh air on his way to Blackfriars Tube. I felt a bit faint so I sat down on the bench. I must have lost consciousness for a moment. Like I said, I’m sorry to have caused a fuss about nothing.”