And a road trip would give her the chance to think about what she wanted to do with her life.

Maybe it would even lead to another job.

Martha Jackson, long-haul truck driver.

She imagined herself checking into a motel with a glowing neon sign. Maybe walking into a traditional diner and ordering a juicy burger.

America.

It sounded unbelievably glamorous compared to her little part of outer London.

“Martha! Kitchen floor!”

Martha was dragged from her fantasy of feeding coins into an old-fashioned jukebox and dancing round a bar to country music.

She felt like one of the ugly sisters. She was expected to scrub the floor while her sister was paid to prance around in leopard print yoga pants.

A new determination spread through her as she reached for her phone and dialed.

She had no idea who exactly wanted to be driven across America, but they couldn’t be more annoying than her own family. Somehow she had to sound like a perfect candidate.

Martha Jackson, personal chauffeur. Calm (except when there’s a roundabout), confident and reliable.

She waited until she heard a voice on the other end of the phone and then she smiled, trying to inject an appropriate level of friendly and flexible into her voice.

“My name is Martha and I’m calling about the job...”

Flexible, friendly and possibly the worst driver on the planet.

5

LIZA

“Who is this girl? We don’t know anything about her.” Liza paced across her mother’s kitchen. It was her third trip to Cornwall in a month and each visit was more frustrating than the last, and not just because the traffic was starting to heat up along with the weather. It was as if dealing with an intruder had made her mother give up all thought of personal safety. Or maybe it had given her rather too much confidence in her own ability to survive the worst.

Whatever the psychology, nothing Liza said could make her see sense. “If you’re determined to do this trip then book a tour. Go with a group. And a guide.”

“I don’t want to be part of a group. I’m too old to tolerate people whose company I haven’t chosen and will no doubt find annoying. I shall go where I wish and stay as long as it pleases me to stay. It’s not as if I have anywhere in particular to be at my age.”

“Mum—”

“You didn’t want me to stay alone in the house, and this way I won’t be alone in the house.”

There were days when Liza felt as if she was banging her head against a wall. “What if something happens?”

“I hope something does happen. It would be a crushing disappointment to travel two thousand four hundred miles and not encounter a single adventurous moment.”