Holly was to sleep in the second bedroom of Mrs Barrett’s three-bedroomed house, but it was still a good size. There was a double divan bed in there, and a rather dated mahogany wardrobe and cumbersome chest of drawers, but still, there was plenty of room for one person. Mrs Barrett said that in all the years she and her late husband had lived in the house, the second bedroom had barely been slept in.

Upon her arrival, Holly had lugged up a couple of medium-sized packing boxes, a rucksack and a small, scuffed case containing all her worldly goods, but she hadn’t got round to unpacking any of it yet.

It wasn’t much to show for the ten years she’d been away, supposedly making a bright, sparkly future for herself. The mere thought of some of the stuff she’d had to face made her want to drown her sorrows in the litre bottle of wine currently buried under her meagre collection of mismatched underwear.

Yet for now, her past problems were being overshadowed by her present-day predicament.

Overdue credit card bills, an unsatisfied county court judgement and a stack of unopened communications from a long list of creditors was just for starters.

Her only saving grace was that it was a well-known fact that it took credit and collection agencies a while to catch up with people when they moved house. And hopefully, she’d managed to make it doubly difficult for them.

There was also the problem of how she would ever find Geraldine again, now she was eighty miles away from Manchester. If it nearly killed her in the process, she would find a way to do it. And when the moment came, she would reclaim what was rightfully hers.

Holly squeezed her eyes closed against the menacing thoughts that threatened her new positive state of mind. Dr Freeman had warned her, trained her to spot bad thoughts and nip them in the bud before they could drag her down again.

The last eighteen months, in particular, had been a very difficult time. This period had included her very darkest hours. Times when she had quite honestly been a mere whisker away from ending it all.

It had been a chance remark from a fellow patient that had changed all that. Her words, over a shared cup of coffee, had been: ‘Don’t you just wish you could rewind it all and start over again?’

That simple question had somehow struck a chord with Holly and forged a way through the darkness where all the therapists and doctors could not. After that, she had never taken her eye off the faint light at the end of the tunnel as it grew steadily stronger, day by painful day.

On a brighter note, since making the final decision to come back to Nottingham, she had invested hundreds of hours planning and visualising – had taken on board everything the numerous self-help books she’d read had suggested – in order to give herself the best chance of succeeding in getting her life back on track.

Only then, when she felt grounded and secure again, would she be ready to do whatever was necessary to retrieve what was rightly hers.

The kettle clicked and she made the tea, feeling both determined and resolved that she would never let anything or anyone use or ruin her again.

She carried the tea through to the front room on a small decorative tray.

‘Thank you, dear.’ Cora Barrett reached eagerly for the china cup and saucer, her third of the afternoon. ‘Do you know, I feel quite spoiled. You’re an angel. Truly.’

Holly smiled, sitting down on the sofa, cradling her own small mug. ‘You’re the angel, Mrs Barrett, for letting me stay here for a while. For giving me the benefit of the doubt.’

‘How many times do I have to tell you… it’s Cora!’ the woman gently scolded. ‘If we are to be good friends, then I have to insist that you call me by my first name.’

‘Point taken.’ Holly smiled. ‘I’m very grateful to you, Cora, is what I wanted to say.’

‘Absolutely nothing to be grateful for,’ Cora said firmly. ‘Our meeting outside the post office was pure serendipity; in my book, it was a clear sign that you coming here was meant to be. It was perfectly obvious to me that you were a nice girl.’

Holly winced at her kind words, doubting that was the case at all.

It had been just over a week ago. Holly had been back in Nottingham for a matter of hours and had been trying to cash a cheque at the post office inside the Khans’ corner shop, but they’d insisted she hadn’t got the correct ID required for the transaction.

‘But I haven’t got a passport or a driving licence! It’s only for twenty pounds, for God’s sake,’ Holly had pleaded. ‘And I really, really need the cash.’

Customers behind her in the queue had shuffled and muttered. When she turned around to glare at them, she saw an odd mixture of pity and judgement in their expressions.

But the sour-faced old hag behind the counter wouldn’t budge an inch and a humiliated Holly had been forced to walk past the short queue to the door.

Outside, she’d leaned against the wall sobbing, the strength in her legs and resolve in her heart finally dissolving. To her, it had felt like the end of the world.

That was when she’d felt a firm hand on her shoulder and heard a concerned voice.

‘It can’t be that bad, dear, surely?’ She had opened her eyes to see an elegant older lady studying her inquisitively. ‘Fancy a nice cup of tea in the café?’

Despite her embarrassment, Holly had nodded and followed Cora to the small café at the end of the road. As they’d entered, the smell of freshly baked scones and fragrant brewed coffee instantly soothed her frayed nerves.

They had chatted over lattes for what seemed like hours, and Holly ended up telling Cora rather more about her problems than she’d initially intended. Once she started, she found she simply couldn’t stop. The relief had been enormous.

And now here she was, a guest in Cora’s home. Markus used to swear by harnessing the law of attraction to manifest one’s dreams, and finally, after ten long years, it seemed to Holly she might just have the hang of it.

‘It’s such a treat to have a nicely mannered young woman for company. I had the measure of you instantly that day, and finding out you grew up near here was the icing on the cake. Your good nature shone through, my dear.’ Cora looked towards the pale spring light that filtered softly in through the living room window. ‘Since Harold passed, it’s easy for me to go a day or so… sometimes longer, without speaking to another soul.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Holly said quietly. ‘That must be awful.’

‘Now, now, ignore me. We really mustn’t fall into the doldrums.’ Cora sat up a little straighter, her cup rattling in its saucer. ‘I might appear to be a defenceless old bat, but I can look after myself, you know. The way I see it, I’ve no choice but to do so. You’ll never catch me moping around for long, and despite the tough time you’ve been through, I suggest you avoid it too.’

That was what she’d chosen to tell Cora: she’d been to Manchester and had a very tough time. Cora had reacted kindly, sympathised completely. If she’d known what had really happened, Holly knew she wouldn’t have slept at night.

‘I agree. I’ve no intention of moping around,’ Holly told her. ‘In fact, I’ve been thinking that I might pop into town tomorrow and register with a couple of employment agencies. I’ve searched online and there doesn’t seem to be much going in the permanent job market at the moment, but with a bit of luck, I might be able to pick up a temporary position.’

‘That’s what I like to see,’ Cora said approvingly. ‘A young person who is willing to put themselves out there and look for opportunities. That’s what I kept telling my friend Pat next door.’

‘Your friend was looking for work?’

‘Oh no,’ Cora laughed. ‘It was her son, David. You see, something very… unpleasant happened to him a couple of years ago that affected him so badly he can’t bear to go out after dark, even now. I kept telling his mother at the time that he should get himself out there and find the opportunities for himself. They never just drop into your lap.’

‘Sounds awful.’ Holly took another sip of her tea.

‘Oh, it was. He was out of work for some time, but I’m pleased to say he’s all sorted now. It’s a shame he has to put up with that horrible man, Brian. His mother’s friend, you see.’ Her lips pursed in disapproval. ‘David dislikes him intensely and I admit, he’s a very difficult man to warm to.’ She paused a moment. ‘I’ve known David since he was a small boy and I’m used to his ways now. He’s a little bit… how should I put it…’

‘Different?’ Holly offered.

‘Different!’ Cora repeated. ‘That’s it exactly, a very good word to describe David. But he’s a kind person. He’s done bits for me around the house, stuff I would’ve found very difficult to manage on my own.’

‘Well, I’m here to help you now too.’

Cora nodded and smiled. ‘Quite. And when you’re ready, dear, you can take the new towels up to your bedroom and start to make yourself comfy. I think we’re going to get along very well indeed.’

Holly beamed. ‘Thanks again, Cora. I’ll try not to be under your feet here for too long.’

‘No need for that, dear, you’ve already thanked me a hundred times, and there’s no rush to leave at all. You’re welcome to stay for as long as you like. In fact, I sincerely hope you will.’