She fled from the room and ran downstairs to the kitchen, flinging open the door. ‘Go and sit with the children, I must go out at once. I fear the train is over the bridge!’

CHAPTER 2

Chapter 2

2015

‘Mum, it was really cool on the bus. We got juice and crisps and Jenny Baird was sick so the driver had to stop really fast, like a racing driver.’

Fiona looked round from the sink, drying her hands. ‘Sit down and tell me all about it,’ she said, flicking on the switch of the kettle. ‘Was it a good trip?’

‘Yeah, it was okay. It wasn’t the Peter Pan museum though, just the house where the man who wrote the book was born.’

‘J. M. Barrie. So what did you see there then?’

‘Stuff about when he was a child and things. And how they used to live in those days. Well, the teacher said it was a big house for rich people and that the ordinary folk wouldn’t even have had a toilet inside the house.’

Fiona made a pot of tea and opened the cake tin. ‘Bit of cake, Jamie?’

He nodded and rushed over to the kitchen dresser, peeling off his school sweatshirt as he went. He opened the drawer and pulled out a pad of paper and a box of coloured pencils.

‘I’ll draw you a picture of the statue they had in Kirriemuir. It’s Peter Pan with his pipe or flute, can’t remember what Miss Robb called it.’ He began sketching then slurped some tea.

‘Don’t be so noisy, Jamie, where are your manners?’

‘That’s how Pete drinks his tea.’

‘Yes, well, some grown-ups think it’s okay to have bad table manners, but it’s not.’

Jamie glanced up at the clock. ‘When’s Pete home?’

‘Oh, yes, I meant to say, Pete won’t be home till later tonight so I’m cooking. You up for pizza?’

He looked up from his drawing and grinned. ‘Cool.’

She planted a kiss on his cheek as she headed for the door. He wiped it away with the back of his hand and leant over his piece of paper, pencil poised.

* * *

Later that evening, once her son was in bed, Fiona poured herself a glass of red wine and stood looking out the window. It was a beautiful May evening, the sun low in the sky and the top of the hill still bathed in bright light. She took a sip and wished Pete wasn’t working so late. She’d love to go and climb the hill, but didn’t like leaving Jamie alone. It was a small and friendly village where everyone left their doors unlocked all the time, and the neighbours said he’d be fine – some even suggested that she was being overprotective – but there was no way she would leave him by himself.