‘I know,’ Bella said quickly. ‘I … How can I put this?’ He watched her face as she raised her eyes to the sky, thinking about how to tactfully word whatever it was. Her wish not to speak ill of people made him want to smile even though she was talking about Seymour Cole and everyone hated him. ‘I know what Mr Cole can be like and I know what you’re like. I know you’d never hit anyone.’

Relief washed over Nick like a wave crashing to shore. ‘He called Freddie a liar. Said he’d made it up to get Amias into trouble.’

‘I wish I could say I can’t believe it, but I can. Well, I can assure you that wasn’t the case. We investigated fully and have witnesses who saw everything. Freddie didn’t lie about a single thing. Every action the school took was justified and right.’

For a moment, Nick’s anger got the better of him. ‘The Coles have always been that sort of family. Entitled. Thinking they’re so much better than everyone else. And now I could end up going to prison.’

‘Prison?’ Bella’s pretty, dark eyes had frozen in fright.

He shouldn’t have said anything. He should have just dealt with it himself. He still wasn’t used to relying on people or taking them into his confidence. Why was he suddenly doing it now? He knew why. It was because he trusted her. Her unfailing optimism and love of Christmas cheered up even the darkest of moods and there was a warmth to her that radiated out, touching everyone around her, though she didn’t seem to notice it herself.

Nick explained about Seymour Cole pressing charges and Bella flushed.

‘But that’s preposterous. What about Freddie? What about you? We have to do something.’ She thrust her hand into her hair. ‘This is all my fault.’

‘What? How do you figure that?’ He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, sending a tingling through his fingers.

‘If I’d have kept a closer eye at school and stopped Amias getting to Freddie …’

‘This is not your fault,’ Nick said firmly. She kept her eyes down and he wanted to reach out and gently lift her chin but fear of how he’d feel if he touched her prevented him. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll figure something out. Maybe I’ll just apologise if it means this doesn’t get any nastier. Though I’d like to think right is on my side.’

He wished he could believe that would actually help but life wasn’t like that.

‘If you don’t want to come for dinner anymore, I completely understand.’ He hoped his voice didn’t ring with the disappointment he felt inside. He’d been looking forward to spending more time with her. Perhaps looking forward to it more than he’d realised.