Ricky was still smiling, and as soon as he opened the box, his eyes widened as he read the engraving. ‘Oh, wow! How cool is that! Brave, eh? I love it, Zara. I will wear it with pride.’

‘I wanted you to have it for a very special reason, though. My father gave it to me when I was your age.’

‘Oh, then I can’t possibly take it. I know how close you and your dad were. Dad has told me so much about you and Izzy. There’s no way I’m accepting such a special gi—’

She held up her hand to stop him giving it back. ‘No, I want you to have it. I would’ve given it to my little boy, but . . . anyway, I want you to have it. Always remember you are very brave.’

Leaning forward she kissed his forehead; it seemed so natural. There was a bond between them that was unexplainable, but it was there, nevertheless.

Ricky felt it too. His dad had told him how she’d tried to find him, how she’d also lost a child, who, if he’d lived, would have been Ricky’s elder brother.

‘Ricky, listen. I’ve done something that I’m really not very proud of, and I just want to say, I know you won’t forgive me, but I’m sorry.’

With an understanding grin, Ricky replied, ‘Hey, Zara, if it’s what you did to Jackie, then she bloody well deserved it. She’s a nasty piece of work. I should know more than anyone. But she didn’t hurt you, did she?’

Zara gave Ricky a cheeky grin in reply. ‘Not physically, no, but she really hurt my feelings.’

Ricky’s face dropped. ‘No! Well, she has a habit of doing that. She hurt mine on a daily basis. I think she used to get a real kick out of it. The fact is, you know, I don’t regard her as my mother . . . ’ He paused, and his eyes opened as wide as they could. ‘I’m too old to have a mother, but if I could’ve chosen one, you know it would’ve been you, don’t you?’

Hearing those words was so magical, they made her heart melt. ‘And, Ricky, 100 per cent, you would’ve been my choice too.’ She swallowed the lump and changed the subject before it became a full-blown blubber affair.

‘So, when will you be allowed home? Have they told you yet?’

‘It won’t be long now. Maybe in a few days’ time, but I bet Dad won’t let me out again.’

Zara smiled. ‘No, you must’ve given him such a fright. My God, Ricky, what you must’ve gone through yourself, though?’

She looked down.

‘I don’t remember much of it. One minute, I was walking into Kendall’s flat, and the next, I had a bag forced over my head. That’s all I remember.’