‘Yes,’ said Maria again. ‘I have to change at Preston. You’re right.’

‘Then I think it’s going to be very straightforward,’ replied Ayesha. ‘I’m going to get down there myself, okay?’

She had never spoken so carefully or clearly.

‘Take the first train you can,’ she said. ‘You get to Preston. We’ll meet in the café, in front of the footbridge. There’s a big bar-café, right in the middle. I’ll be waiting for you.’

‘At Preston?’

‘Yes. I won’t leave until we’ve found each other, and I’ll have your bag with me.’

‘In Preston? Now?’

‘Yes.’

‘Thank you. Thank you so much—’

‘You mustn’t worry,’ said Ayesha, and for some reason her eyes were full of tears, as if the loss were her own. ‘It’s perfectly safe, okay? My name is Ayesha.’

‘Ayesha?’

‘Yes.’

‘Okay. Thank you, Ayesha. I’m Maria.’

‘I know. I’ll see you soon, Maria. A couple of hours, at the most.’

The station man was smiling.

Maria handed him his phone, and he handed her a tissue. Her rucksack was against her chair, but she pulled it closer so it was tight against her knees. For a moment, she couldn’t speak.

‘I have to go to Preston,’ she said at last. ‘I need to get the next train and find this person – Ayesha. I don’t have a ticket, though – all my tickets are in my wallet.’

‘You don’t have a ticket?’ said the man.

‘No.’

‘Then you’ll have to stay here.’

‘What?’ cried Maria. ‘No, you don’t understand. I can’t, I—’

‘I’m joking,’ said the man gently. ‘I’m joking, Maria – I can issue you a special pass right now, free of charge. Special circumstances, special pass – that’s the least of your worries, okay? We’ll get you to Preston, so…’

He looked at the screen above their heads.

‘You’ve got about twenty minutes to wait. Problem solved, eh? By the sound of it.’

Maria nodded, but found that the words she needed wouldn’t come.

‘You see?’ said the man. ‘We can always sort things out. It’s never as bad as it looks, is it?’

‘No.’

‘You thought it was the end of the world, didn’t you?’

Maria looked at him.

‘It nearly was,’ she said. ‘I’m so lucky. Thank you.’

15

Michael’s train was busy, so he wasn’t sure where to sit.

An elderly couple sat either side of a table, halfway down the carriage, so he apologised for the intrusion and joined them. There was a new mint in his mouth, and his shoulder bag was neatly zipped.

‘Filling up,’ he said.

‘It always does, this one,’ said the man.

He had been forced to pick up his coat to make room, so Michael asked him if he wanted it placed on the overhead rack.

‘Thank you,’ said the man. ‘That would make life a bit easier.’