‘No. I’m sorry, you weren’t to know. My husband and I have separated and things are a bit . . . difficult. I’ll speak to the principal about this for the future.’

‘I’m so sorry to hear that. These things happen. If you let Mrs Fredericks know about it, she might want you to fill out some legal documentation. We’ve had issues before,’ the young teacher added.

‘Thank you.’ Grace glanced at her phone. I bet he’s not going to call me back, she thought. She reassured the teacher again and hurried back to the car, where she rang Melanie.

‘What a low act. Typical. Not much you can do until you have something legal in place. He’s Daisy’s father, and there’s nothing stopping him.’

‘I’m going to make a call now. Mr Jamison said he would recommend a family lawyer; well, I might need that recommendation quicker than I thought,’ Grace said. ‘I’m upset for Daisy. The teacher said she didn’t want to go.’

‘Just think carefully about how to handle Lawrence. Don’t antagonise him. If he knows you’re upset about this, he’ll mark it up as a win.’

‘What about Daisy?’

‘Don’t make it a big deal. Remember, this is the way it will be now for her and for you, for the time being, anyway.’

‘You mean being ripped out of school with no notice – kidnapped, essentially!’

‘Until you get orders in place, he can do what he did today. It’s not kidnapping, Grace.’

‘No, it’s a nightmare. I feel like taking Daisy and running away. To Bali!’

When Melanie didn’t reply, Grace quickly said, ‘Don’t worry, I don’t mean it. Seriously. I was invited to pitch for another job today. A huge one. In Bali.’

‘What? Take it! I’ll come and be an assistant!’

‘It’s not that easy, Mel. It’s a huge project and it could be really exciting, but if I got it, I’d be away for weeks, months maybe. I can’t leave Daisy for that long. Especially now.’

‘Take her with you.’

‘I couldn’t . . . could I? Lawrence would go ballistic.’

‘Find that lawyer. Talk to them and get the correct advice. You said Lawrence is always taking off on business trips.’

‘True. He’s always so vague about where he’s going, and for how long. I wouldn’t like him to take Daisy away with him, though. Besides, you can’t work with a child in tow.’

‘Lawrence would leave her in a hotel room with a babysitter. I reckon in Bali you could have a Balinese nanny look after her in a beautiful setting.’

‘Mel, I can’t think about this right now. I’m feeling really panicky not knowing where Daisy is. I’d better get off the phone.’

‘Sure. Look, Gracie, she’ll be fine. Bored maybe, but she’s with her dad. He would never hurt her. Don’t worry. Let me know how you go. Talk later.’

Grace pulled into her mother’s driveway, her heart sinking at not seeing Lawrence’s car. She rang his phone again. He didn’t answer, so she sent him a text.