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By the end of the week the Hindsight office was fully up and running with Clover and Jackson, their regular and trusted researchers, back at their usual desks and all new contracts provisionally agreed. Harry and Meena, now returned from a six-week trip to India, were pretty jetlagged as well as a few pounds heavier, but clearly fully on board for Who’s That Girl .

‘I admit I’m quite fascinated by it,’ Meena declared at their first production meeting of the series. She was her usual delightful self, exuding calmness and mischief in equal measure, and showing not a single sign of ageing in spite of her fifty-plus years. Harry, on the other hand, her ever faithful and long-suffering husband, was wearing the slightly dazed expression he always wore following a prolonged stay with his in-laws and extended family.

‘But before we go any further into it,’ Meena continued, ‘I know you’re keen to hear more about the sponsorship we have on board. Actually, I’ll email the details, for now I’ll just mention Isabelle Penny who’s going to be dropping in to introduce herself, I think sometime today. She’s already working on marketing and publicity strategies to help promote Hindsight as the series launches – and she also, I believe, has some great ideas for how you can work with each of the sponsors. You’re going to love her. Well, love might not be the right word, but I’m sure you’ll find it after you’ve met her. So now, back to the important stuff. Is there anything else we need to catch up on with Who’s That Girl ? Great title by the way. I’m told all the sponsors love it.’

‘But what they think doesn’t really matter,’ Connor pointed out, making clear his hostility towards any kind of outside involvement, even if the players were providing money and, so far, encouragement.

Meena batted her eyelids.

Cristy murmured a thanks to Clover who’d apparently read the room and decided it was time to pass around coffees. The spritely twenty-eight-year-old’s colourfully beaded dreadlocks and dazzling smile invariably brightened the day, no matter the weather outside, or mood inside. She was a joy to have on board, as was the lightly bearded, spiky-haired Jackson whose tech expertise was as invaluable as his many geek contacts. ‘We’ve given you everything we have so far,’ she told Meena.

‘Apart from the footage Sadie sent yesterday,’ Connor said, ‘of her dead aunt’s rooms at their amazing fuck-off mansion overlooking the sea.’

‘Great description,’ Harry commented dryly. ‘I think I have just the right picture of it now. So, has Sadie discovered any more little gems from her aunt’s stash for you to puzzle over?’

‘Apparently she has,’ Cristy replied, ‘but she’s going to be in Bradford-on-Avon this weekend so she’s bringing it rather than sending by email.’

‘Any idea what it is?’ Meena queried, her honey-coloured eyes glittering with intrigue.

‘Only that she found it – I quote – “a bit disturbing, and difficult to get her head around”.’

Meena’s eyebrows rose as Clover said, ‘Is it another chapter, or page of the story?’

‘She didn’t say that,’ Cristy answered, ‘so I’m inclined to think it might be something else. We’ll find out when I see her on Sunday.’

‘What we have so far ends with the envelope coming through the door,’ Connor reminded them.

‘Is it possible,’ Jacks put in, ‘that Sadie’s found what was in it?’

‘No idea until I see her,’ Cristy replied. ‘However, what I can tell you is that we’ve managed to track down Gita Brinkley, the aunts’ housekeeper at the time they were at the hilltop house on Exmoor. Luckily for us – and for her – she’s still in full control of her faculties at the age of eighty-six, or she certainly sounded it when we spoke on the phone. She’s in a retirement village near Minehead, so Connor and I will be heading down there early next week.’

‘Did you ask if she remembers a child suddenly appearing out of nowhere?’ Harry prompted.

‘I did, and she does,’ Cristy replied, ‘but she didn’t want to discuss it on the phone.’

‘I’ve been carrying out a search for Edwin Prosser, Mia’s ex-husband,’ Clover informed them. ‘Not much to report yet, I’ll be going in for a deeper dive as soon as this meeting’s over.’

‘We’ve tried contacting Lottie’s publisher,’ Connor continued. ‘Apparently, Felicity Green, now retired, was Lottie’s editor up until the last collection of short stories was delivered.’

‘What do you hope to get from her?’ Harry asked.

‘We won’t know until we speak to her,’ Connor replied. ‘She’s travelling around Mexico at the moment, due back sometime next month, but in her email she says she was very disappointed when Lottie decided to stop being published.’

‘Remind me again when that was?’ Jackson said.

Checking her notes, Cristy said, ‘2005, by which time Sadie would have been around seven.’

‘Anything relevant about that?’ Harry wondered.

‘Not that we know of – yet.’

‘Speaking of Guernsey,’ Meena interrupted, ‘which we were, kind of, I’ve yet to hear all about your Christmas and New Year. OK, now’s not the time, but drinks later at the Mud Dock?’

Having expected this and actually welcoming it, Cristy said, ‘It’s a date, but it was a terrific Christmas … just not such a great New Year,’ she confessed, ‘and things have been going steadily downhill from there.’ She smiled to cover her feelings as everyone regarded her with as much interest as concern. ‘It’s OK,’ she assured them, ‘it won’t get in the way of what we’re trying to achieve, although it might make any upcoming visits to the island slightly awkward, at least for me. However, nothing I can’t handle. In fact, I’m waiting for David to send what he’s managed to find out about the aunts’ financial situation. I’m guessing he hasn’t obtained a full picture yet and will let us have it when he does.’

‘How is it relevant?’ Harry wanted to know. ‘OK, I get that money always is, but are you looking for something specific?’

‘Evidence of blackmail would be helpful,’ Connor pointed out, ‘massive pay-offs, dodgy-looking investments … But that’s asking for fine detail and getting that out of the kind of firms that run estates like the Winters’ … Well, let’s say we’re not holding our breath, but maybe Sadie can help there.’

‘She must be quite a wealthy young lady now that one of her aunts has passed,’ Meena commented. ‘I don’t understand why she’d want to risk blowing the rest by putting the other aunt through this?’

‘I don’t think it’s about money for Sadie,’ Cristy said. ‘She’s protective of her aunt, or is trying to be, and is mindful of, shall we say, difficulties further down the road, but she wants answers. And I for one don’t blame her.’

‘Me neither,’ Clover piped up. ‘I mean, who wouldn’t want to know where they came from and who their parents really are? I know I did, and it worked out really well for me in the end.’

‘But you always knew you were adopted,’ Cristy reminded her, ‘and no one ever stopped you trying to find your birth mother. Or, more to the point, lied about who you were and who she was.’

‘So we’re satisfied,’ Meena said, ‘that Martin and Vanessa Winters have never existed?’

‘Not as the aunts’ brother and sister-in-law,’ Cristy replied. ‘Or as Sadie’s biological parents.’

‘Because she’s done a DNA test?’

‘She has, and no matches, which only means that no one has registered on any of the ancestry sites who can be tied to her.’

‘I’ve never tried one of those sites, have you?’ Meena asked, clearly intrigued by the idea.

Harry was already alarmed. ‘No, no,’ he protested, holding up his hands in defence. ‘You already have enough family to populate a small nation, any more and I swear I’ll leave you.’

Laughing, Meena started to pack up her things. ‘We’ve got a meeting at the Beeb in an hour,’ she reminded him. To Cristy she said, ‘I’m sure Isabelle Penny will be in touch today, so be nice to her. Any thoughts yet on when the first episode is likely to drop?’

‘It could go quite soon,’ Cristy assured her. ‘The envelope on the mat is a great cliff-hanger. We just have to gain an idea of what we’re moving on to – and, of course, we’ll need to top and tail with appropriate credits – and sponsor acknowledgements, I guess.’

‘Isabelle will be able to help with that.’

After Meena and Harry had gone, Clover commented quietly, ‘Definitely not liking the sound of this Isabelle person.’

‘We don’t want her getting in the way of things,’ Jacks added. ‘How often is she going to be here?’

‘I’ve no idea yet,’ Cristy replied, ‘so let’s hope not very, and deal with her when we have to.’ She broke off as someone came in the door.

Seeing who it was her heart sank, or flipped, or … She had no clear idea what it was doing, only that she really hadn’t been expecting Matthew, nor was she thrilled to see him.

‘Hi,’ he said cheerily, as if he dropped in like this every day.

‘What are you doing here?’ she asked coldly. ‘I thought you were on air tonight.’

‘I am. We’re doing a live feed from the SS Great Britain – the PM’s attending some sort of dinner on board later, so …’ He shrugged. Then with a slightly awkward glance at the others, ‘Can I …? Could we …?’

Swallowing her impatience Cristy got to her feet and led him across the hall to the main meeting room. It was only as she closed the door that she thought of Aiden. ‘What is it?’ she demanded. ‘Has he bunked off school again …’

‘No, no, nothing to do with him,’ he assured her. ‘Although apparently he wants to stay with me tonight.’

‘I know, he texted. So what’s this about? You can see we’re—’

‘In the middle of something, sure. I’m sorry, I tried calling but you didn’t pick up—’

‘Because I was in a meeting. I still am, so if you can come to the point—’

‘OK, well, this probably isn’t the right time, but as I was nearby I thought … I’ve been wanting to talk to you since the other night when we … Well, you know, you were there.’ He laughed uneasily.

She eyed him stonily, having no idea what he was building up to, and not at all keen to find out.

‘I just wanted to ask how serious it is between you and this … David,’ he blurted, looking so unsure of himself, and so like their son during his rare moments of uncertainty, that it took the fire out of her anger surge.

Sounding more long-suffering than impatient, she said, ‘It really isn’t any of your business, Matthew, and frankly, I resent you asking.’

He swallowed. ‘OK, I deserved that, but after we … spent that time together the other night …’

‘It’s sounding to me as though you’re reading far too much into that …’

‘No. No, I’m not, I was just afraid you might and … Well, it’s not that I don’t want us to get back together, you know I do …’

‘This conversation’s over …’

‘No, wait,’ he cried, as she made for the door.

She turned back, eyes blazing. ‘If you seriously think I have spent a single minute thinking about the other night and the fact that for some deranged reason I let you sleep in my bed, then you are beyond delusional. For God’s sake, Matthew! You start off by asking how serious I am about David, now you seem to think I’ve got designs on you …’

‘I just wish you did,’ he cried helplessly, ‘and that everything could go back to the way it was. And you can hardly blame me for trying to find out how the land lies with Mr Guernsey …’

‘I’ve already told you, it’s none of your business, so if that’s all you’re here for …’

‘Actually, I wanted to see you,’ he admitted. ‘I don’t know why, but the world, everything, feels better when I’m with you …’

‘But you’re not with me. You have a different wife now and a child. Have you been in touch with them? What’s happening over there?’

Pushing a hand through his hair, he said, miserably, ‘Apparently Bear is missing me, although how that’s possible when I’ve only held him once for about three seconds, God only knows.’

She blinked. A long moment passed before he said, ‘Please don’t laugh.’

‘I wasn’t going to,’ she lied. Then, ‘You do realize that’s Marley saying she misses you, don’t you?’

He shrugged. ‘I guessed you’d have a clearer understanding of it than I do.’

Unable to believe how dense he could be, Cristy said, ‘So you’re here for me to tell you what to do next?’

‘I’m just not sure how to play it,’ he confessed. ‘One minute she doesn’t want me anywhere near her, or the baby, the next they’re missing me … I can’t just fly over there. I’ve got a job and a son here to think about and if she’s determined to carry on living there … Well, how’s that going to work for anyone?’

‘I’ve no idea, Matthew, but as it isn’t my problem I’m not going to spend any more time on it. Now, if you don’t mind …’

‘Will he be there for Aiden’s gig tomorrow night?’ he asked, as she opened the door.

Realizing he meant David, she stopped, gave herself a moment and said, ‘No, he won’t, but before you start reading anything into that please let me tell you again … We, you and I, do not have a future together outside of being parents to our children,’ and before he could say any more she walked back into the production office and slammed the door.

‘Oh dear, is this a bad time?’

Cristy looked up to find a short, plump woman with a playful pink bob and flashy red glasses staring at her sympathetically.

‘Isabelle Penny,’ she said, holding out a hand to shake. ‘But please call me Iz.’

*

‘Holy shit,’ Meena murmured later, when Cristy finished telling her all about Matthew and David. They were at the Mud Dock Café with a bottle of wine between them on the table and a couple of menus they’d yet to look at. ‘Your personal life is all kinds of weird right now,’ she stated, ‘and frankly I don’t know what to tell you. Apart from the fact that you know your ex is a cheating bastard. I’m not sure I’d be able to trust him again if I were you …’

‘It’s not even in my head to try,’ Cristy broke in heatedly.

Still seeming dubious, Meena refilled their glasses and, after they’d selected a few small plates to share, she said, ‘What about David? Do you really think he’s back with La Francaise ? What’s she like, by the way?’

As she pictured Juliette, Cristy only wished she could shut the image down, or turn her into something that resembled a frog. ‘Think Sophie Marceau at her sultriest,’ she said.

Meena’s eyes widened with alarm. ‘Oh, dear,’ she murmured.

‘And she’s at least ten years younger than me.’

Looking even more worried, Meena said, ‘But she won’t have half your class.’

Cristy only wished it were true.

‘So why did they break up?’ Meena asked. ‘If she’s such a goddess.’

‘All I know is that she wanted to live in Paris and he was determined to stay in Guernsey, so they went their separate ways and now they only see one another … Actually I’ve no idea how often they see one another, but there’s no doubt she’s very at home when she’s there.’

‘Have you talked to him about her?’

Cristy shook her head. ‘I’m not quite sure how to bring it up without sounding petty, or jealous … Anyway, as I told you, we haven’t spoken since I left and for all I know she’s still there.’

‘But you don’t know that for certain.’

‘Maybe I don’t want to.’

Meena clearly wasn’t happy with that. ‘You have to confront this, Cristy,’ she said bossily, ‘and it’s not like you to shy away from a situation. Ask him, outright, if he’s involved with her again. Sure, it’ll be horrible for you if he is, but isn’t it better to know the truth so you can start moving on if you need to?’

Unable to deny that, as much as she might not relish it, Cristy said, ‘Maybe this way we save one another the awkwardness of having to admit that we – he – made a mistake.’

‘But you have to be in touch anyway, for the podcast – didn’t you say he’s getting some information for you?’

‘He can give it to Connor, or Jacks, it doesn’t have to be me.’

Meena sat back in her chair and fixed her with a long hard stare. ‘Do you know what I think?’ she said in the end.

‘I know you’re going to tell me.’

‘I think you were so hurt by Matthew that you’re going into self-protection mode way before you need to. I mean, it’s not as if David hasn’t tried ringing, you said yourself he has …’

‘Once, and I left there over a week ago.’

‘… and what sort of message do you think you’re sending by not calling back?’

Cristy’s eyebrows rose sceptically. ‘He’ll know why I haven’t,’ she countered.

‘Really? Tell me what happened after he disappeared with La Francaise on New Year’s Day.’

‘With a bottle of wine, don’t forget.’

‘Didn’t you ask him about it when he came back? How long was he gone for?’

‘A couple of hours, I think.’

‘Was she with him the whole time?’

‘I presume so.’

‘Did she come back with him?’

‘No.’

‘So how was he with you after that?’

‘To be honest I didn’t see much of him – maybe I was avoiding him, I’m not sure, but I’d heard from the children by then so I was worried about them …’

‘But he slept with you that night? As in, you shared a bed?’

Cristy nodded and felt her heart contract at the way she’d feigned sleep when he’d come into the room. She simply hadn’t felt up to any sort of heavy discussion, and still hadn’t in the morning which was why she’d left the way she had.

‘And you haven’t been in touch since?’

Cristy shook her head.

‘Not even with his mother?’

‘Well, of course I’ve emailed her and she replied saying they’re all missing me. I don’t know if David’s included in that, but if he is he should be speaking for himself.’

Meena shook her head in dismay. ‘You need to have this out with him,’ she declared.

‘Maybe, but now I want to hear about your time in India …’

‘Hang on, before we go there, I hear Isabelle Penny dropped in on you today. How did it go?’

‘You mean Iz,’ Cristy said dryly. ‘And what little we saw of her decided us that she’s an unusual sort of person that could either grow on us, or drive us mad. Only time will tell. Now, back to you and your trip. How was your wonderful mother? And did you remember to send her my love?’

As Meena launched into a colourful and hilarious account of her and Harry’s Christmas in Mumbai, Cristy found herself laughing and unwinding in a way she hadn’t since leaving Guernsey.

Finally, after finishing the bottle and an extra glass each, they left by the iron steps of the old industrial building to wait for Meena’s Uber outside the cycle works. The night was icy cold and damp, but alive with Friday revellers as the city’s youngsters descended on the hotspots.

‘Are you going to be all right?’ Meena asked, as her driver pulled up alongside them.

‘Absolutely fine,’ Cristy assured her.

‘Why don’t I drop you?’

‘Because it’s in the opposite direction and it’ll take me five minutes to walk from here.’ Pulling her in for a hug, she said, ‘It was lovely to see you.’

‘You too,’ Meena smiled. ‘Just don’t be so hard on yourself, OK?’

‘Promise,’ and aware of her mobile vibrating she stood back for Meena to get into the car.

Please let it be him .

Moments later, as she took the phone from her bag, she saw that it was Hayley and decided not to answer. She simply couldn’t face her daughter’s wise counsel this evening, so slid the phone back into her pocket and began walking towards the swing bridge. By the time she’d crossed it and reached her apartment complex a message had arrived from Hayley. She waited until she was inside, coat off, kettle on and feet up, before opening it.

Hey Mum, just checking in on you. Hope you’re OK – Dad keeps asking me if it’s serious between you and David. I hope it’s all right with you but I’ve ended up telling him ‘very’. David’s a good guy. He definitely gets my and Aiden’s vote.

Love you, call anytime.

H ?