Sarah had not planned on celebrating Christmas this year. Maggie, on the other hand, loved everything about it, and she wasn’t letting Sarah off the hook. It was why Sarah found herself at Maggie’s kitchen table, smiling at Elliott as he tucked into his turkey. Today was a day for proper napkins, for shiny candlesticks and the best plates. For the scent of cloves and oranges, of pine needles and cinnamon sticks. Maggie and Elliott had returned to Slayton having stayed with distant family after the shock of the news. But like Sarah, Maggie seemed compelled to return.

‘This looks amazing,’ Sarah said, enjoying the feast. But Maggie’s smile was strained, and she had lost more weight than was good for her.

‘How are you both?’ Sarah asked in a low voice as they worked their way through dinner. Christmas carols were playing in the background and Elliott seemed a million miles away.

‘Getting there,’ Maggie said, softly. ‘The counsellor said it’s going to take time for Elliott to process it all.’ Her glance fell lovingly on her son. He no longer carried his father’s medal. But seeing him looking like an ordinary little boy in his bright red Benetton jumper, new shoes and jeans brought a lump to Sarah’s throat. He caught Sarah staring and gave her a reassuring smile. Such a grown-up gesture brought it home what a special little boy he was.

‘Finished,’ Elliott said, jumping from the chair to play with the iPad Santa had brought. Sarah had furnished him with enough gift vouchers to keep him in games for a while.

‘I popped in to see Elsie this morning,’ Sarah said, resting her cutlery on the table. ‘You should visit her, she’s doing really well.’

But Maggie paled at the mention of her name. ‘I can’t. Not when …’ Her words faded but the meaning was clear. Not when her husband had tried to frame Christian.

‘She doesn’t blame you,’ Sarah said. ‘Nobody does. And it’s very likely Christian will get a suspended sentence for his part in things.’ The more she heard about Christian’s involvement, the more it was clear he had been taken advantage of.

‘It’s been so hard to come back and face everyone.’ Maggie fingered the stem of her wine glass. ‘Even Elliott said he’s ashamed of what his daddy did to his friends.’

A frown creased Sarah’s features. It pained her to see Maggie so upset. ‘If they’re real friends they won’t turn their backs on either of you. None of this has anything to do with you.’ But when Maggie turned to face her, she had tears in her eyes.