Brendan had led her out of the apartment block to a glittering black sports car that looked like it belonged in a Batman movie.

‘Wow, what make is this?’ she’d said, immediately regretting her naïvety.

‘It’s a Ferrari,’ he’d laughed, opening the passenger door. ‘Jump in.’

The car had growled like a disgruntled beast as it shot away from the kerb.

‘It’s about a twenty-minute drive to my place,’ Brendan had told her. ‘Relax and enjoy the ride.’

Holly had taken a deep breath and allowed herself to sink back into the plush cream leather seat. Watching as the streets of Salford passed her window in a blur, she’d felt like pinching herself more than once.

Brendan’s aftershave had smelled lovely: a mix of nutmeg and spice but not overpowering. He wore well-cut jeans and a plain black Hugo Boss T-shirt that tantalisingly hugged his firm, athletic physique.

She’d forced herself to focus on what was outside the car rather than in it, cringing when she realised that theoretically, Brendan was old enough to be her dad.

Easy conversation had punctuated periods of not talking. Chill-out tunes had played faintly in the background, and just when she’d thought she could no longer fight the urge to close her eyes, the car had slowed and taken a sharp turn to the right.

Brendan had held up some kind of remote in front of him, and the next minute, eight-foot-high fancy wrought-iron gates had swung open in front of the car.

Holly had bitten back a gasp. Brendan must already think her a hillbilly from the sticks, she was so embarrassingly over-impressed with everything.

The car had crawled through the gates and up a long gravelled driveway. Brendan drove around a fountain that formed a kind of roundabout at the top where the driveway widened out and parked outside the front door of the palatial white-pillared mansion.

The double-width front door had opened right away and a petite woman with wavy shoulder-length dark hair appeared. Brendan had jumped out of the car and opened the passenger door for Holly.

‘Welcome to our home,’ he’d said.

‘Hi, I’m Geraldine, Brendan’s wife.’ The woman stepped forward and held out her hand. ‘Welcome to Medlock Hall. I’ve been dying to meet you.’ She was dressed in jeans and a plain white blouse. Fluffy pink slippers completed her casual outfit.

‘Pleased to meet you. I’m Holly.’

Holly realised she’d made the assumption that Brendan’s wife would be some impossibly glamorous model-like creature who was probably dripping in jewels and wearing inch-thick make-up.

She was certainly attractive, but seemed ordinary and not full of herself at all.

They’d waved Brendan off – apparently he had to get straight back to the office for an important meeting – and seconds later, the growling Ferrari was rumbling back down the driveway.

‘Come on.’ Geraldine had guided Holly through a spacious hallway framed by a sweeping glass staircase at either side. When Holly looked up, she saw an open landing, studded with closed doors leading, she assumed, to bedrooms. ‘Let’s have a drink and a chat.’

They’d walked across a striking parquet flooring, through double doors and into a stunning room that literally took Holly’s breath away.

Geraldine heard her tiny, inadvertent gasp and smiled, seeming pleased with her reaction.

The vast space was carpeted in a cream wool Berber rug. Two enormous black leather corner suites faced a wall of bi-folding glass doors that looked out onto an enormous decked area peppered with lavishly cushioned outdoor furniture, with what looked to be around an acre of landscaped gardens beyond.

‘Please sit down, Holly,’ Geraldine had said without looking once at the commanding view. ‘I’ll get us some coffee.’

Instead of heading off to the kitchen, she’d rung a small silver bell on a side table.

A plump Filipino lady had appeared as if by magic carrying a tray laden with coffee and biscuits. She’d offered Holly a reserved smile.

‘Thank you, Patricia,’ Geraldine had said briskly. ‘You can pop the tray just there, on the table.’

‘Anything else, madam?’ Patricia had said whilst staring at Holly.

‘That’s it, you may go. Thank you.’ Geraldine turned back to her. ‘Now, Holly, tell me all about yourself and why you decided to come to Manchester.’

Holly had reiterated a lot of what she’d already told Brendan. Dithering, pessimistic Holly, who fretted constantly about whether her new start would materialise, had been suddenly replaced in her account of the last year or so by a confident, ambitious young woman who was determined to do well.

‘I don’t know how much Brendan has told you about exactly what we’re looking for,’ Geraldine had said. ‘It’s an unconventional appointment in a way, and therefore essential that we get the right person. It’s not a position we can fill with just anyone.’

Holly’s mood had instantly dipped. She’d lived her young life so far as the girl who nobody chose as a best friend, who nobody wanted on their netball team and who had gone unnoticed by all the boys at school, and at college too.

There had been no reason to believe Geraldine would see anything different in her.

‘I can promise you I’ll work really hard to do a good job,’ she’d heard herself say, before biting down on her tongue before she could embarrass herself further.

Geraldine had smiled.

‘That’s good to hear.’ She’d nodded. ‘Because I’m looking for a very special kind of person indeed.’