She finished her glass of wine, drove to Mason Court and posted the flyers in his neighbour’s doors. Every second house had a dog, so Mary ran as fast as she could, slipping flyers into postboxes, sticking one on the bus stop and another on the community noticeboard. She drove four blocks to Vanny’s flat, and posted one in her door, just in case she was Little V. Everyone would start waking soon, and she felt confident the community would respond speedily. By morning, Jimmy McKinley’s house would be spray-painted Beast! Paedo! Keep your Children Safe! by the local vigilantes, who’d driven three of Mary’s Nasties out over the years. Bricks would be tossed through his windows. By lunchtime, he’d have packed his bags and snuck out the back door, never to be seen again.

To think, she was going to let him get away with it.

Jack was in the hall when she arrived home.

‘Mum, where have you been? This place is a mess. What have you been doing? Your tooth. Are you okay? Oh my God, did Dad do that to you?’ He burst into tears. ‘What’s that flipchart all about? You’re not doing anything stupid, are you? What’s happening, Mum, I’m scared.’

‘It’s okay, baby, everything’s okay.’ Nothing was better than hugging her son, comforting him, but her tears were not supporting her assertion.

‘Mum, I can’t find Holly.’

Good, a problem to sort. Mary wiped her face and blew her nose. ‘Is there any reason to be worried?’

‘Remember those unpublished letters you found the day of the launch? Well she hadn’t read them, till a couple of hours ago, that is. In most of them he’s just way less charming, but these two – read them.’ He handed her the first letter.

Dearest Bella,

In visits this morning, Holly offered to get us coffee at the kiosk. I was glad to sit alone for a moment and was already longing for the respite of my cell. Despite saying nothing, we had already run out of things to say. I was thinking about our first meal together, Bella. You asked me to book a restaurant, so I chose an expensive one. When the bill came, the waiter gave it to me, and you let him. It was ten pounds less than the total in my account, and my rent was due. I felt sick for a moment and smiled at you for help. You blushed and turned your head. It surprised me, Bella, that you made a binding contract at that moment, signed and tipped, when it was exactly what you railed against. But you never railed too hard, did you? You were a champagne feminist, and I had to buy the champagne.