Page 80 of The Mended Hearts Bookshop

“Hello?” she said, not recognizing the number.

“Hello?” said a voice. “Is that Ash?”

“Speaking.”

“You don’t really know me, my name’s Moira Hadley.”

“With the children,” Ash said, she’d heard the name often enough. Why the woman was calling her was anyone’s guess though.

“Er, yes, I suppose that’s me,” Moira said. “Um, I got your number from Arjun, he was going to phone you, but then he said it wasn’t really a police matter and he didn’t want you to panic. And, well, you would panic if you got a phone call from the police, wouldn’t you?”

Ash was already starting to feel wobbly. “I’ll panic at a phone call from you if you’re not careful,” she said. “What is it?”

“Nothing, please don’t panic. It’s just, well, Pen’s had a funny turn is all. My kids were with her and she’s alright, I think. I just… I thought you should know and Pen could really use someone with her. I’m not sure she should be alone no matter what she says.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Ash said, already pulling out a bag and starting to cram clothes into it.

“Oh? Really? Oh, well, that’s nice. Thank you.”

“Thank you,” Ash said, clicking the end call button.

What was all that about? What was Pen up to now? Maybe she was ill, maybe there was something going on that Ash knew nothing about. She grabbed clothes faster, stuffing everything she could think of into the bag.

The phone rang again just as she was about to leave the flat. She picked it up, thinking it might be Pen, but it was Lucy that answered.

“Ash? Is that you?”

“You called me, I should hope so,” Ash snapped. “And if you’re calling about Pen, I already know. I’m on my way.”

“Oh, good,” Lucy said, sounding relieved. “But don’t worry, she’s fine.”

“So everyone keeps telling me. Except they also keep calling me, so she can’t be that fine,” said Ash. Her stomach was heavy with worry and she really didn’t like the feeling at all

“She is fine, I swear,” said Lucy.

“I’ll come and see for myself,” Ash said, hanging up the call again.

She made it out into the corridor and suddenly had an awful thought. That car that she was planning on buying didn’t actually exist yet at all. She had no way of getting down to Tetherington without a rental car and she hadn’t booked one.

Stealing herself, she knocked on Amanda’s door.

“Oh, going away again?” Amanda asked in surprise as she opened the door.

“Yes, sort of, I mean…” Ash took a deep breath. “I mean a friend of mine is ill and I need to see her.”

“Don’t worry about the flat then, I’ll take care of everything. A place like that won’t be on the market long,” Amanda said.

“Yeah, right, thanks,” said Ash. She swallowed. “It’s just… I have to go out of London and I don’t have a car rented and Iwondered if you might know someone or something or…” She trailed off. She’d knocked on the door because it was the first one there and because she knew Amanda and because she’d panicked. Probably it hadn’t been the best idea.

“Wait, a friend?” Amanda said, tilting her head to one side. “This wouldn’t be your Princess Charming, would it?”

Ash managed a slight smile thinking that Pen made the perfect princess with all her golden curls. “Yes, actually, yes it is,” she said.

Amanda disappeared behind the door for a moment and when she came back she was holding a set of very expensive looking car keys. Ash’s eyes opened wide.

“I can’t take those,” she said, seeing the BMW logo on the back.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” said Amanda. “Jason will just have to take the Tube to work like everyone else.”

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