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Back When I Was Ten Save as PDF
Chapters (79)
  1. Cover
  2. WHEN I WAS TEN
  3. Dedication page
  4. Epigraph page
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. PART ONE
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. PART TWO
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. PART THREE
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. 56
  65. 57
  66. 58
  67. 59
  68. 60
  69. 61
  70. 62
  71. 63
  72. 64
  73. 65
  74. 66
  75. 67
  76. 68
  77. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  78. WHEN I WAS TEN
  79. Also by Fiona Cummins

Chinese food and puppies! What’s not to love? How wonderful to learn your favourite Shakespeare play is Much Ado About Nothing. Excellent taste – it’s one of my favourites too. Full of secrets and hoaxes, the ultimate sleight of hand. Do you think everyone has secrets? I do. There’s a delicious thrill in holding close a scrap of knowledge that no one else shares, a power to it. I’d forgotten about it until now but when we were younger, we had a secret code, a method of communicating that only we knew about.

Never underestimate the importance of holding back a little something for yourself. The currency of secrets is more valuable than anything else, even money.

5

It takes eight minutes to get from Aunt Peg’s flat to Canary Wharf on the Docklands Light Railway, but longer in the snow.

By the time I get back to the office, I’m so late I walk the long way around and slip in past the digital team instead of the news desk. Erdman, the new foreign correspondent, raises a hand and calls out a greeting, but I frown at him, and he lets it drop. Too late, though. Colin has spotted me. He strides across the newsroom floor, twirling a biro like he’s Billy the Kid.

‘Brinley Booth, where the fuck have you been? That wasn’t a lunch break, it was a piss-take.’ He points the biro at me and pretends to shoot.

‘I was meeting a contact.’ I nod towards the large windows overlooking the Isle of Dogs, which frame the falling snow. ‘It took longer than I thought.’ The lie comes easily but I don’t feel bad. Colin is an obnoxious bully.

‘Well, I hope you got a bloody good story.’

‘Of course.’ I smile, full of sweetness and deceit and Aunt Peg’s egg and chips. ‘I just need to make a few calls.’ And then, the clincher. ‘You’ll love it, Colin. It’s a biggie. Fingers crossed I can stand it up.’

He grunts, pacified for now. I’ll need to come up with something decent, though. It’s been a while since I’ve had an exclusive worthy of the front page and Colin won’t let this drop. He’s got the memory of an elephant.

‘Get back to work, then,’ he says, making a shooing gesture. ‘And give Lawrie a hand when you’ve finished, will you?’

Lawrie is on the telephone when I slide into my seat, but he raises an eyebrow at me and fakes a yawn, so I know it’s not important.