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“I’ve said I’m sorry.”

“You think that’s all it takes? To say you’re sorry?”

He didn’t answer. Unable to hold back the tears, she pulled into the drive of Scurlage Rugby Club to rest her head on the steering wheel.

“Where are you?” he asked.

She couldn’t answer; she was fighting too hard to stop herself crying.

“Jenna, are you still there?”

Deciding she didn’t want to be, she clicked off the line and started to sob.

A few minutes later her phone rang. Hoping it was him, she looked at the screen, but it was a number she didn’t recognize at first, until she realized it was Paige’s school.

“Hello?” she answered, clearing her throat.

“Mrs. Moore? It’s Eddie Thomas here, Paige’s ICT teacher.”

Remembering she was supposed to have called him, Jenna said, “Oh yes. Is everything all right?”

“I’m not sure,” he replied. “Paige is refusing to carry on with the edit of her tourist video, and she won’t say why. It’s not like her to pull out of a project, especially one that’s showing so much promise. I was wondering if you could throw any light on things.”

Realizing Paige could be rejecting the video because she’d shot it with Jack, Jenna said, “I’m afraid we’ve been having a few problems at home lately. Would you mind bearing with her for a while?”

“No, of course not. I’m sorry to hear that. Please let us know if there’s anything the school can do to help.”

“Thank you, I will.” Wondering when she’d ever felt so helpless or hopeless, she quickly ended the call before she could break down again.

—

Bena was in the office with Hanna showing her what she’d found on Jack’s computer, needing Hanna’s advice on how and when she should pass it on to Jenna.

“I wanted you to see this in case there’s something I’m not understanding,” Bena said as the phone rang.

Hanna’s attention was totally focused on the screen as she continued to read.

Seeing it was Jenna calling, Bena picked up. “Hello, lovely,” she greeted her. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes, it’s fine,” Jenna replied, sounding as though it was anything but. “I’m just going to be a bit longer than I thought.”

Frowning, Bena said, “OK. So what time do you think you’ll be back?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll call when I’m on my way. Tell Hanna not to worry, and don’t you either.”

Bena glanced worriedly at Hanna. “Do you want to tell me where you’re going?” she prompted.

“I’ll tell you when I get back. I have to go now.” The line went dead.

“What was that about?” Hanna asked as Bena rang off.

“I’m not sure, but apparently she’s going to be out for longer than we thought.”

Hanna was clearly as concerned by that as Bena was, but she replied, “I guess it’s no bad thing in the circumstances. It’ll give us more time to go through this.”

Bena nodded and returned to Hanna’s side so that they were looking at Jack’s computer screen together.

As Hanna resumed scrolling through page after page of the company’s accounts, she said, “Are you sure Jenna’s never seen this?”

“I’d stake my life on it,” Bena replied.

Hanna nodded. “Mm. So would I.” She looked up at Bena’s anxious face. “She can’t cope with this right now,” she said decisively. “I mean, obviously she has to know at some point, but we need to give it to Mum first. She’s brilliant with figures. It’s what she used to do when she was working; in fact, she ran a whole team of bookkeepers. She’ll be able to give us the bottom line so we’ll know what we’re dealing with.”

Bena nodded her agreement. “What about Jack? Do you think we should contact him?”

Hanna didn’t ponder it for long. “Not yet,” she decided. “He’s got to know this is going to come out now that he’s handed over the business….” She broke off, still trying to get her head round the potential catastrophe in front of her.

“You have to wonder if he was ever planning to tell her,” Bena remarked, going back to her desk.

“He’d have had to sooner or later. What’s amazing is that he’s managed to keep it from her for so long.”

“She trusted him,” Bena reminded her.

Hanna’s arch expression showed what she thought of that.

“Do you think the other one knows? Martha?” Bena asked.

“It’s hard to imagine that she doesn’t, given that she’s been
advising
them.” Hanna shook her head in disbelief. “I hardly know what to say,” she murmured, “but I certainly know what I’d like to do.”

“You and me both,” Bena retorted, checking the caller ID as the phone rang again. “Hi, Paige. Everything all right, sweetie?” she answered.

“Yeah, cool,” Paige replied, sounding far too nasal for that to be true. “Is Mum there? She’s not answering her mobile.”

Careful to hide her alarm, Bena said, “She’s just popped out to the post office and to walk the dog, so she could be out of range. Is there anything I can do?”

“No, it’s OK, thanks.” Before Bena could tell her that her auntie Hanna was there, the line went dead.

—

Tucking her mobile back into her bag, Paige kept on walking, not sure where she was going, just knowing that she couldn’t go to the gym, no matter what anyone said or did to try to make her. She was due there now for her next lesson and they might already be looking for her, but she wasn’t anywhere close by. She was at the other side of the school grounds, heading past the science block and art rooms, keeping her head down as she made for the back lane, where she could hide out for a while, or maybe even escape.

She’d called Charlotte just now, but she was at home with a really bad cold, so there was nothing she could do, and Julie, who’d texted her the warning of what was going to happen if she went to the gym, had done all she could to help.

Just heard they’re planning to steal your clothes and push you outside or into boys’ changing rooms with nothing on. Jxx

Wanting to believe that Cullum or Matt would stop it from happening, Paige had texted them to ask if they’d heard what Kelly was planning. Neither boy had texted back, which didn’t necessarily mean they were ignoring her, but it might mean that; after all, they hadn’t done anything to help her when the Durmites had snatched her bag last night, swinging it round and round, slamming it into her, and making sure everything, including her Tampax, fell out on the floor. They’d just walked away, leaving her and Charlotte to pick it all up, while the Durmites carried on sniggering and jeering.

Now, climbing over a gnarled obstacle of tree roots, Paige jumped down onto the lane and began walking toward the main road. She didn’t have her iPod plugged into her ears, too nervous about someone coming up behind her to take the risk.

If she’d been able to get hold of her mother, she would have said she was sick and asked her to come and pick her up, but she couldn’t, and no way in the world was she going to ring her dad.

Thinking of him brought hot, angry tears to her eyes, making it hard to see where she was going, but she pressed on, stumbling over random rocks and catching her hair in low-hanging branches. He’d come, she was sure of it, but he wasn’t going to get the chance.

When the rain started she didn’t bother putting up her hood. She let it fall onto her hair and face, so it smudged her makeup and mingled with her tears. Who cared what she looked like, how wet she got, or how cold? Since it didn’t matter to anyone else, why should it to her?

Just before reaching the main road she came to a stop and took out her phone again. Still no answer from her mother, so she tried her grandma instead.

Kay answered on the second ring. “Shouldn’t you be in lessons?” she asked straightaway.

“I’m not feeling very well,” Paige told her, “and I can’t get hold of Mum. Would you be able to come and get me?”

“Of course. Where shall I meet you?”

“At the school bus stop?”

“I should be there in ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes?”

“I’m just leaving my yoga class,” Kay explained. “It’s only down the road.”

When Paige got into the car nine minutes later, Kay asked, “What’s wrong with you? Do we need to see a doctor?”

“No, I’m all right really. I mean, I’ve got a stomachache and I feel a bit sick.”

“Temperature?”

“Maybe. I think so.”

“Then we should get you to bed. Have you managed to get hold of Mum yet?”

“No, but I left a message letting her know what’s happening.”

“Good girl. Pull the blanket over from the back and wrap yourself up. You shouldn’t have allowed yourself to get so wet.”

Doing as she was told, Paige huddled down into the seat and closed her eyes. The trouble was that didn’t stop the tears from coming, and then suddenly she was sobbing and her grandma was pulling over to the side of the road.

“Here,” Kay said, passing her a tissue. “Something’s happened at school?”

Paige tried to swallow as she nodded.

Kay waited.

“It’s nothing,” Paige told her. “I’ll be all right in a minute.”

“It can’t be nothing if it’s making you cry. Now tell me what it is.”

“I just had a row with some girls.”

“What about?”

“Nothing.”

Kay waited again.

“They’re being a bit mean to me,” Paige finally confessed, “and I don’t know how to make them stop.”

“Then we shall find a way.”

“No, you can’t. It’ll just make it worse.”

Kay didn’t look convinced.

“I can handle it, I promise, they’re just being stupid, and now with Dad going and everything…”

As she dissolved into yet more tears Kay passed her another tissue. “It’s a very bad thing your father’s doing,” she declared. “I can’t make excuses for him, so I’m not going to try.”

Glad of it, Paige almost managed a smile. “Mum doesn’t want me to fall out with him, or she says she doesn’t, but I’d want me to if I were her.”

Kay didn’t comment on that. She simply said, “He’s been a good father up to now.”

“So you’re saying I
should
cut him some slack?”

“What I’m saying is we’ve no idea what will happen in the future, but I understand why you’re angry with him, because I’m angry myself.”

“So you don’t blame me for not wanting to see him?”

“No. I don’t want to see him either, but I don’t expect we’ll have much choice in the matter. Are you ready to carry on now?”

Though Paige was desperate to spill out everything that was happening at school, she didn’t feel it was fair to load any more on her grandma when Kay already had so much to be dealing with. Everyone was leaning on her, especially Josh and the twins, and of course her mum too, which was only right when they were mother and daughter. Paige’s problems didn’t mean anything in comparison to everything else that was going on, so, keeping them to herself, she simply watched her funny little grandma turn around in her seat, put the car into gear, and steer them back onto the road. To hell with the Durmites and her father; they were nobodies who meant nothing, and she wasn’t going to let them get the better of her.

Jenna was sitting in her car with Waffle asleep in the back and the radio turned off. She was staring at the building opposite with its smoky glass facade, revolving doors, and ornamental trees outside. It wasn’t possible to see through the windows, but she knew Martha’s offices were on the third floor with gold lettering on the door saying
Gwynne & Associates
and a pretty receptionist to welcome visitors.

She wasn’t intending to go up; she’d probably never get past ground-floor security anyway. She was here waiting for Martha to come down.

“I’m outside in the car,” she’d told her on the phone a few minutes ago. “I want to talk to you.”

After a pause, Martha had said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I’m in the car park opposite, and I’m not going anywhere until you come down here and face me.”

There was every chance Jack would come instead, or maybe Martha would sneak out of the building by a back door. There was nothing Jenna could do to prevent either eventuality; she was only able to wait in a place where she knew they could see her, so they’d know she wasn’t going away.

More minutes ticked by. She wondered what they were saying to each other, what sort of plan they were making, whether they were even considering calling the police. It made her feel so terrible, so sick of herself, and yet how could she not have come? She needed to fight for her marriage, to do something other than yell at Jack and torment herself with how empty and awful life was going to be without him.

She checked her messages, and after listening to Paige’s she rang her back. “Where are you?” she asked, keeping her eyes trained on the revolving doors.

“We’ve just got home,” Paige replied. “Grandma’s making me something hot to drink, then I’m going to bed. Auntie Hanna’s here.”

“I know. I shouldn’t be long. Do you think you’ve picked up Charlotte’s cold?”

“Maybe.”

“I spoke to Mr. Thomas. Actually, he called me.”

“What did he say?”

“He wanted to know why you’re not interested in editing your video.”

“So you said…?”

“That I’d talk to you about it. I’m guessing it’s because you shot it with Dad.”