Free The Silent Touch of Shadows by Christina Courtenay

the full amount. Melissa was very proud of herself for securing this small victory.
    She also knew she had to inform Steve of her plans, vague though they were, so the following week she steeled herself to call him. His secretary took it upon herself to disturb him in a meeting, despite Melissa’s protests that the matter wasn’t urgent. Consequently, by the time he came to the phone he was already in a bad mood. Melissa’s heart sank.
    ‘Yes, what is it? Has something happened to Jolie?’ he barked.
    ‘No, not at all. I’m just calling to tell you that we’ll be moving soon.’
    ‘Couldn’t you just have sent me a letter with the new address as usual? Or are you going to Outer Mongolia?’
    Stung by his sarcastic tone, Melissa replied with some asperity. ‘No, to Kent, actually. I’m sorry to have disturbed you. I just felt it would be courteous to inform you, but if you’re not interested   …’
    ‘Kent? What the bloody hell do you want to move down there for? What about Jolie’s schooling?’
    ‘We’re going to find a better school for her there; she hates the one she’s at now. The other children have been bullying her and the teacher is a nightmare. And another reason we’re moving to Kent is to be near my great-aunt Dorothy. She’s getting on a bit and needs some support.’
    ‘Great-aunt who? I thought you didn’t have any aunts, great or otherwise. Look, this is going to make things very inconvenient for me. It’s bad enough having to come all the way from Islington down to Putney to see Jolie, but to Kent? It’s fucking miles away, not to mention having to use the M25 each time. It’s always choc-a-bloc with traffic.’
    ‘I’m sorry you feel that way, but I really can’t afford to stay in Putney any longer. And if Jolie is unhappy, I have to do something about it. We’re going to live with my great-aunt at first so I can economise for a while.’
    ‘You can’t be that hard up with all the money I pay you each month.’
    ‘All the money? It barely covers Jolie’s food and clothing, never mind anything else!’ Melissa could feel the discussion heading in the direction of a major row, something she didn’t need right now. She decided to end it before things got out of hand. ‘I’ve got to go, Steve. I’ll send you the address and phone number. If you find it difficult to get down there, I can always bring Jolie up on the train to Victoria and you can pick her up from there. Bye.’
    She was shaking by the time she put down the receiver, but she was pleased. For once she hadn’t allowed him to provoke her into a full-blown fight. She only prayed she wasn’t making a huge mistake in leaving London. Somehow, this had to work.
    Dorothy was more enthusiastic when told of their plans. ‘Excellent,’ she said, ‘but if after a while you find that you like it here at Ashleigh, then please feel free to stay. Really, I’d love it. Now have you thought about schools? Shall I call the ones around here to see if any of them could offer Jolie a place, then you can go and have a look as soon as possible?’
    ‘Thank you, that would be great.’
    After that everything happened with lightning speed. They moved in with Dorothy while Melissa started to make enquiries about a cottage, and Dorothy was as good as her word and found a school for Jolie within cycling distance of Ashleigh Manor. Although Melissa was worried at first, she soon realised her daughter could manage very well on her own. Unlike in London, there were no busy roads to cross and not much traffic.
    ‘I’ll be fine, Mum,’ Jolie assured her. ‘I’m not a baby, you said so yourself. This won’t be any worse than walking home from school in Putney by myself.’
    Fortunately, their move coincided with the winter half-term break and Jolie was able to start school soon afterwards. She returned in high spirits after her first day, barely pausing to lean her bike against the gatepost.
    ‘Mum, I’ve made a friend already,’