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‘So they thought they were dealing with the same people?’ Ben asked.

‘Exactly. The woman who spoke to us said she just assumed there was a work email and a home email. After all, they were both F. Micklethwaite.’

It was, like Jamie said, a million to one chance.

Down on the carpet, Hope let out a long yawn.

‘Do you want to put her down at mine?’ Ben said. ‘You can stay here for a bit, have another glass of wine, then pick her up and I’ll drop you back later.’

‘Thank you,’ Holly said. ‘But don’t worry, I’ll walk back with the baby carrier. It’s not far, and she always goes to sleep much easier after it.’

‘Only if you’re sure?’

She was about to reply that she was, when her phone rang. Her mother’s name flashed up on the screen.

‘Oh, crap.’ She stood up. ‘Sorry guys, I need to take this.’

‘Is everything okay?’ Jamie said, her own concern momentarily forgotten as she looked at Holly.

Holly glanced at her phone.

‘It’s fine,’ she said, afraid they would think it was something serious if she didn’t explain. ‘Only I need to get a plumber.’

‘Why? What happened?’

She hesitated. Then again, if ever people had needed to hear about someone else’s disaster, it was today.

‘Hope blocked the toilet.’ Holly grimaced. ‘She flushed two of Evan’s bunnies down it.’

This time, Jamie’s laugh was genuine.

29

Holly picked up the phone to her mother.

‘Mum? Where are you?’

Her mother’s face grinned back on the other side of the screen, with her father’s face tucked in beside her. ‘We’re in France, love! We are just out of the tunnel. And look, the video call works. I told you it would.’

It was heart-warming to see her mother getting such joy from the simple act of a telephone call working from another country. A smile was plastered on to her face so high that her cheeks glowed, and they hadn’t even got off the train yet. Still, there was a reason she’d called, and Holly wanted to get to the point as quickly as possible.

‘Mum, did you hear from the plumber? Is he coming? Can he come tonight?’

‘I spoke to the landlord, and he rang the plumber. He’s got a little job to do first, but he said he’ll be there about nine o’clock.’

With a slight sense of relief, Holly glanced down at her phone. It was already eight thirty, and she knew enough about tradesmen to know that ‘around nine o’clock’ could mean any time from now until gone ten.

‘Thanks, Mum. Message me when you get to the hotel, okay?’

‘Okay, darling. Give big kisses to Hope?’

‘Will do.’

When Holly hung up the phone, she turned back to Ben.

‘Change of plans. Any chance I can get that lift back?’

It took only a few minutes to gather their things, and a couple more to get Hope into the car seat. Some days, Hope would slip in and let herself be buckled up as though the car was her favourite place in the world to be; other times, it would be like wrestling a badger. That evening, it was closer to the latter, but with Ben on hand, it didn’t take long and till they were all buckled in and headed home.