‘Bonnie’s not allowed in my room any more,’ Grace said, gauging the man before her. ‘Mummy says she’s too bouncy, because she jumps on my bed.’ But there was more to it than that. Bonnie had started growling at Susan when Grace screamed out in protest. Her response had been to throw Bonnie outside and leave her there overnight. It had broken Grace’s heart to hear her pet whining at the door on such a cold night.

‘I guess she loves you too much,’ Lloyd said, failing to see the malice behind her mother’s acts.

Sighing, Grace tried again. ‘Sometimes Mummy hurts me. She ties me to the bed.’

‘Does she? Naughty Mummy,’ Lloyd said, with a soft chuckle.

Grace’s spirits plummeted. He didn’t believe her. He thought she was making it up.

‘I got you a present.’ He reached into his jacket. ‘I don’t know much about gadgets, but the kids say these are all the rage.’ He pulled out a black plastic bag. Inside was a slim white box. ‘Sorry, I didn’t get a chance to wrap it. But I got it all loaded up with Wi-Fi and games.’

Speechless, Grace stared at the box. An iPad. He’d bought her an iPad. It must have cost hundreds of pounds.

‘Your daddy’s a proud man.’ Lloyd rested the package on the bedspread. ‘Let’s make it our little secret, eh?’ His eyes twinkled as he watched the smile break out on her face.

‘Thank you!’ she lisped, as her tongue pushed through the gap in her teeth.

‘Do I get a hug?’ Lloyd reached out his arms.

Grace was so happy that she kissed him on the cheek. If she couldn’t get outside, at least she could visit the online world. She would be able to access games. Speak to people on the web. Her mummy had a computer, and Grace was familiar with the internet. But there had been a darker side to her nocturnal adventures before she had been caught. She had used her mother’s computer to find answers to the questions that kept her awake at night. Grace had googled the names printed on the labels of the drugs she’d been forced to take. With tears in her eyes, she’d learned of the cruelty inflicted upon her. She had never been allergic to food, nor the sun. Her illness was caused solely by the drugs her mother gave her, and the doses were lethal enough to kill. Soon she would be too weak to walk at all. But now she had an iPad. Hope was on the horizon. A promise of a sunrise that would bring her a new day.

A wave of drowsiness washed over her, and she masked a yawn with her hand. Mummy’s sleeping tablets were kicking in. Grace could get help online.

Susan’s footsteps echoed down the corridor.