She needed to tell Lloyd. He would know what to do. She strained to listen in the doorway, her spirits falling when she realised that whoever was in the house had left.

‘Coming!’ her mother screeched, making her jump out of her skin.

Slowly, Grace clicked her door shut. Her heart thumping against her rib cage, she hobbled back to bed. Mummy was at the front door, pulling bolt after bolt across. Sudden, warm relief washed over Grace as she heard a man’s voice, soft and velvety, in the hall. Daddy. Daddy had come home early.

She lay back on her pillow, waiting, but her nightdress clung, damp and stained, to her skin. Her mother said something about putting the kettle on. She followed a strict routine when Daddy was home. Grace’s spirits lifted as her father peeped in. His dark hair had been cut, and the corners of his eyes creased as his face lit up with a smile. He looked so smart in his tie and navy suit and his presence filled the room.

‘Hey princess, are you up for visitors?’ He entered, one hand behind his back.

‘Daddy.’ She outstretched her arms for a hug. She could have cried with the relief that enveloped her. Daddy would know something was wrong. But if he noticed the drink staining her nightdress, he didn’t say a thing. What had Mummy said to him?

‘I got you something.’ Still smiling, he produced the Mickey Mouse soft toy that was hidden behind his back. It was wearing an ‘I Love New York’ T-shirt. Her room was filled with soft toys, but this was the first from America. ‘Sorry I’ve been away so long.’ Grace’s mattress bounced as he perched on the end of her bed. ‘But I’ve some good news. I got a promotion. I won’t be flying out of the country any more.’

A sob hitched in Grace’s throat.

‘Hey, hey, what’s wrong?’ her daddy said, curling a strong arm around her shoulders.

Grace had seen so little of her daddy that Lloyd had started to feel like her new father. But to have her real daddy home . . . It provided a glimmer of light that would never burn down.

‘I’m h . . . happy,’ she said with a hiccup, resting her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beating, strong and firm. He smelled of a sweet spiciness, so different to Lloyd, who carried a sour stench on his breath.