‘Neither can I,’ Tara said, ‘but if he’s been putting on an act, who knows what the real Nick Malford is capable of?’

‘Fair point, but if you ask me, it’s Nick who should be worried,’ said Justine. ‘I’d hate to be in his shoes when Faith finds out. Exactly how involved are they?’

‘I honestly don’t know,’ Tara admitted. ‘She’s been very quiet since Christmas, and that’s something else that worries me.’

20

Faith peeled open her eyes and surveyed the pre-dawn landscape shaped by teetering bags and mounds of clothes strewn across her bedroom floor. It would all need to be sifted through and put away before she went back to work on Monday, but not yet. It was Saturday morning and the post-holiday realities could be postponed for a little while longer.

Judging by the arm that snaked around her travel-weary body, Nick was of a similar mind. He kissed her shoulder, her neck, and followed the curve of her jawline until his lips found hers. She grabbed a clump of his hair to pull his head back.

‘Morning,’ he said, giving her a lazy smile.

‘Aren’t you exhausted after yesterday?’ she asked.

‘No,’ he said, still smiling.

Faith grinned back at him. ‘In that case, how about making some coffee?’

‘Are you sure that’s what you need?’ he asked as he resumed his exploration of her body with his mouth.

‘Yes,’ she groaned.

He didn’t dare argue a second time, and crawled out of bed. Picking up his mobile, he navigated his way across the darkened bedroom, stopping at a pile of clothes to find a dark navy dressing gown. He took his time to slip it on, aware that she was watching his naked silhouette. She waited silently for him to leave.

As Nick’s humming grew faint, Faith turned on the bedside lamp and reached for her phone. There was a long list of messages she had been ignoring for the last two weeks and she was touched that her absence had been noticed by so many. Ella was top of that list.

Her stepdaughter had visited on Boxing Day for the obligatory swapping of gifts, but Faith couldn’t give her what she really wanted. Ella’s offer to unburden Faith of the responsibilities of running a large family home hadn’t been repeated, but neither had it been withdrawn. Faith might be putting off the inevitable, but as she listened to the clink of a spoon echoing through the cavernous house that Derek had bequeathed to her, she thought not. Her circumstances were about to change.