The following Tuesday, the alarm next to Nigel’s side of the bed went off, as it did every morning, at six. Blearily he opened an eye and groaned and, as he always did, he switched the alarm off on the radio and hit the button next to it to catch the start of the Today programme.

‘Good morning,’ said John Humphrys.

‘There’s nothing fucking good about it,’ muttered Nigel.

‘Did you say something, darling?’ mumbled Olivia, her voice muffled by the pillow.

‘No. Go back to sleep.’

In the pale morning light that filtered through the plantation blinds Nigel saw Olivia roll on to her back. He got out of bed and headed into the en suite and switched on the shower. Five minutes later he was back in the bedroom, showered, shaved and wrapped in a towel. He dressed in the clothes he’d left ready the night before and then opened his wardrobe to find a sports bag. Into it he shoved a pair of shorts, spare socks and a T-shirt.

‘Ol. Oli!’

‘Wha...?’

‘Ol, have you seen my trainers?’

Olivia propped herself up on one elbow. ‘What do you want trainers for?’ She yawned.

‘I told you, I’ve joined the company badminton club. We’ve a match tonight.’

Olivia shook her head. ‘Badminton?’

‘Get with the programme Ol, I told you. The MD’s new initiative.’

‘Did you?’

‘Oh, for God’s sake, do you ever listen to a word I say?’

‘Of course. I remember now.’

Nigel, frankly, doubted it. ‘So... my trainers?’

‘Probably in your wardrobe.’

Nigel scrabbled around in his cupboard and pulled them out. He stuffed them in his bag with his other sports kit. ‘Found. Right, I’ll be late home tonight.’

‘How late?’

‘Nineish, maybe later.’

‘Fine.’

Nigel switched off the radio that neither of them had listened to and left the bedroom. Olivia sank down beneath the duvet again, certain she knew nothing about the badminton club. But it was obviously her fault. Nigel was right – she couldn’t have listened. She really ought to pay more attention or he’d have yet more excuses to lose his temper.

*

Mags was busy shampooing the doctor’s wife’s hair.

‘Have you met the new people at The Beeches yet, Jacqui?’

‘No, but I saw the van there last week. I wonder what they’re like?’

‘What, apart from filthy rich? Did you see what the previous owners were asking for that place?’

‘Wasn’t it nearly two mill?’

‘Something like that. Of course it didn’t mean they got it. It was on the market for an age.’

‘Even so,’ said Jacqui Connolly, ‘it’s a lot to pay for bricks and mortar. Makes you wonder what you’d get for your own place.’

‘Not me,’ said Mags. ‘I live in a council house, remember.’ Silence fell for a few seconds. ‘Amy said there were some kids playing in the garden.’

‘So it’s a young family that’s moved in,’ said Jacqui.

‘Seems like it.’

‘That’s nice. Reverses a trend.’

‘So it seems.’ Mags turned the taps on and started to rinse her client’s hair.

‘You’ve noticed too. There seem to be fewer and fewer young families round and about. It’s the cost of housing.’

‘Stands to reason.’

‘Well, we’ve really noticed at the surgery. The numbers for the antenatal classes are down, there are fewer inoculations each year; honestly, the entire town is in danger of becoming one big old-peoples’ home.’

Mags frowned. ‘I’ve heard the school is worried.’

‘They’ve extended the catchment area. What we need,’ said Jacqui, ‘is more affordable houses. If...’ She stopped and drew in a deep breath. ‘If Lisa had lived, there’s no way she’d have been able to afford to buy anything here.’

Oh gawd, here we go again. She was very sorry for the doctor and his wife – their daughter dying just after she’d gone to uni had been a terrible tragedy – but it had been years ago now, three at least. Mind you, thought Mags, rumour had it that Jacqui blamed herself because Lisa had phoned home complaining of feeling ill, and her mum had told her to stop making a fuss. Of course, it turned out Lisa had contracted meningitis. But even so, did Jacqui Connolly have to bang on about her daughter at every opportunity? ‘No,’ said Mags, trying to keep her voice measured. ‘But buying isn’t the be-all and end-all. My Amy rents and is quite happy about it. And there’s Cattebury.’

‘Well, yes...’ Jacqui’s tone spoke reams. Cattebury wasn’t for the likes of the doctor’s daughter.

Mags felt like saying that perhaps it was just as well she was dead and didn’t have to face the awfulness of being consigned to the sinkhole that was the next town. No, that would be going too far. ‘Water all right?’ she asked instead.

‘Lovely.’

‘Going to the WI tonight?’

‘As the new president I don’t think I get much choice.’

‘No, well...’

And the conversation moved away from the affordability of local housing.

*

Bex was making a start on the dining room. Now she had such a fabulous kitchen she couldn’t see them using it much, but maybe if they had visitors... maybe if she made friends and had people round to supper... Or maybe not. Even so, she couldn’t leave it as it was with pictures stacked against the wall and Richard’s parents’ dinner service, that they’d given him when they’d moved overseas, still in boxes.

‘Mum, Mum,’ said Alfie, racing in through the door, an expression of indignation on his face and tears in his eyes. ‘Lewis hit me.’

Bex sighed. No wonder the boys were getting cranky. They’d had precious little attention paid to them recently, all things considered.

‘Did he now?’

‘He did, Mummy, he did.’

Bex stopped opening the boxes and went to the back door. She called Lewis over and spoke to him about being nice to his little brother.

‘But he started it,’ said Lewis.

‘Didn’t,’ said Alfie.

‘Did.’

‘Didn’t.’

‘Shush. Just stop it, the pair of you.’ She walked through the kitchen to the foot of the stairs.

‘Megan!’ she yelled.

‘What?’ bellowed Megan back down.

‘You busy?’

‘I was putting away the toys in the boys’ rooms.’

‘Could you do me a favour?’

‘Hang on.’ There was some thumping and then the sound of footsteps. Megan came to the landing. ‘What?’

‘Take the boys to the park. They’re bored and need to let off steam.’

‘OK.’ Megan padded down the stairs. ‘Come on,’ she said to her half-brothers, ‘let’s go to the swings.’

Alfie stopped looking miserable and perked up and even Lewis looked less sulky.

As they got to the gate at the end of the drive, Megan grasped Alfie’s hand tightly and, with an exhortation to Lewis to walk sensibly and to look where he was going, she led them through the little town. It was, she thought, really quite pretty with the honey-coloured stone that it was built from, and moss-covered roofs that were all different angles and heights. Very different from their bit of London which had consisted of almost identical roads of Victorian, red-brick, terraced houses and a shopping mall in the unexciting high street which was much like any other shopping mall in the country. Their old suburb of London might have had a slew of amenities and transport links, but it was bland. This, on the other hand, was quite chocolate-boxy.

She walked along the high street until, finally, she reached the entrance to the park and turned in. She let go of Alfie’s hand and, with his recent tiff with Lewis completely forgotten, he and his brother raced off to play on the slide as all the other activities were stiff with children. While all the kids played, the parents – mostly mums – were clustered in groups, chatting. It hadn’t been like that in the play park near their house in London. No one had spoken to anyone there – except their own kids.

Megan stood by the fence that delineated the boundary between the play area and the rest of the park and watched the boys. They seemed happy enough without her assistance for the time being and had now managed to insinuate themselves onto the roundabout which was being turned by a couple of slightly older kids. She leaned against the fence post and shut her eyes, basking in the spring sunshine.

‘Hi.’

Megan was jerked back into sudden reality. Her eyes snapped open and for a nano-second she was unsure of her location. Then her brain kicked in; she knew where she was, it was the school holidays and she’d recently moved house. She raised her eyes to check out who had spoken to her.

It was the boy who’d done the trick on the skateboard when she’d been up to the park before, she was sure of it. And sheesh, now she saw him close up, he was fit. She tried not to stare but those grey eyes with the dark rings around the irises, the long honey-coloured eyelashes and the dirty-blond curls... God, he was gorgeous. He had a skateboard tucked under his arm and he was wearing ripped jeans. Megan thought he was the hottest thing she’d ever seen.

‘Hello,’ she said shyly.

He frowned at her. ‘Look... I know this is going to sound like I’m a bit of a saddo but you’re new around here, aren’t you?’

‘Might be.’

‘Thought so.’

Megan pulled a brunette lock across her cheek self-consciously.

‘So, you’ve moved into The Beeches then, have you?’

‘Yeah,’ said Megan, nodding. ‘How did you know?’

‘You’re kidding me, right? You move into the biggest house in town and you don’t reckon that everyone is going to take an interest?’

‘I suppose.’

‘Trust me, there’s not much to talk about around here so when anything does happen... well, the likes of my mum and gran have a field day.’ He gave her a wide smile.

Megan smiled back.

‘So, where’ve you come from?’

‘London.’

‘Shit, you’re going to find this place a bit quiet, aren’t you?’

‘Perhaps.’

‘Seriously, you want to take a look at the local paper. The only headlines we get is stuff like “Church fête runs out of cucumber sandwiches”.’

Megan laughed out loud.

‘So, you going to St Anselm’s?’ asked Megan’s new friend.

‘Why does everyone ask that?’

‘Posh house, posh school.’

‘Well, I’m not. I’m going to the comp.’

‘Seriously?’

Megan nodded.

‘I go there. I’m Ashley, by the way. Ashley Pullen.’

‘And I’m Megan.’

‘Nice to meet you, Megan.’

‘Oi,’ came a yell from over by the skate ramps.

Megan and her new friend looked across the park.

‘Oi,’ yelled the dark boy, from the top of the highest ramp. ‘You slacking, Ash? Thought you were going to try out that one-eighty ollie.’

‘Sod off, Zac. Give me a couple of minutes.’ The boy turned back to Megan.

‘Do you board?’

Megan shook her head. ‘No.’

‘Want a go?’

Megan thought about it and then thought about the jeans she had on. They were new, from Next, and if she fell off she might muck them up and if she did that where was she going to buy another pair? ‘Dunno. Never thought about boarding. Maybe another day.’

‘Cool. Zac...’ Ashley indicated the boy who’d shouted. ‘Zac and I are here most days – well, in the holidays. If you’d like we could show you the basics one day.’

‘OK.’

‘Ash!’ yelled Zac, impatiently.

‘Gotta go.’ Ashley flipped his skateboard up with his toe and caught it deftly. ‘See you around, Megan.’

He sauntered back to the ramp and Megan watched him exchange a few words with Zac before Zac looked over in her direction. She wondered what Ashley was saying about her. God, she hoped it was all positive. She really wanted him to like her.

*

Ashley could barely take his eyes off Megan. There were some hot girls at his school but this new girl knocked the spots off all of them. Those sexy eyes and that mouth... She was like a real life Lara Croft and, God knew, he’d fantasised over her enough when he’d played Tomb Raider on Zac’s PlayStation.

‘Who’s that?’ asked Zac.

‘Her family have moved into The Beeches.’

‘A rich bitch, eh? What’s she doing talking to you?’

‘Maybe she fancies me.’

‘Fancies you?’ Zac’s voice was larded with incredulity.

‘Why not? Anyway, I’ve got more of a chance with her than you; she’s going to be going to my school, not yours.’

‘That means nothing, Ash. I bet you a tenner I get in her knickers before you do.’

Ashley suddenly felt disgusted by Zac. Megan was too perfect to be talked about in those terms but then Zac had a habit of pushing the boundaries, always going a bit too far. If Zac’s boasting was to be believed, he even dabbled in drugs. Ashley supposed that’s what came of having money to burn... literally. But part of him envied Zac – his confidence, his wealth, his sense of privilege and entitlement.

Ashley knew, in his heart, that he didn’t stand a chance with a girl like Megan even if she was going to be going to the comp; she lived at the posh end of town while he lived on the council estate and was permanently skint. Life sucked.