Having begun the lie, she elaborated, “I can’t explain it, and as far as I know, we were not followed. But it’s worrying all the same. They obviously know you had Steve Drayton’s child. And I dare say they’ll keep scouring the area to find you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” This was the last thing Maddy wanted. “Thankfully, they’re obviously looking for me, not you, and hopefully the ones who are looking will not know you by sight. But you should have told me. I need you to tell me every little thing that happens. I don’t want to be kept in the dark.”

Her ploy had worked. Ellen felt desperately ashamed, but she couldn’t risk losing “her” baby. “So now you can see why I don’t think it would be a good idea for us to travel down to see you. And the reason I didn’t tell you was because I didn’t want to frighten you. But, like you just said, I’m probably not on his list, and hopefully, they won’t know me by sight. So, as long as I keep a low profile and we all stay away from each other, we should all be safe.”

She added a sweetener. “We will come and see you one day, I promise. But not yet.” Before Maddy could comment any further, she skillfully changed the subject. “What about you, Maddy? How’s it going?”

Still uneasy after Ellen’s warning, Maddy told her that, “It’s going okay. This is such a lovely place, and my boss, Brad, is kind and generous, as are the neighbors, especially Sue, who is the mother of Dave, Robin’s best friend.”

“So you’re keeping busy then?”

“I’m working every minute I can. It helps keep me sane. I’m earning decent money, which I can put away, because the cottage is rent free. The only real money I spend is what I send you and Michael, so my savings are building up really well.”

Anticipating Ellen’s next question, she added, “I haven’t opened a bank account, because I don’t want to use my real name So, I put the cash safely away, where I can find it quickly if I need to.”

“This Sue sounds like a nice person.”

“She is – they all are. Even so, the loneliness is awful. It’s not so bad during the day, but when my work is done and I go back to the cottage, I shut the door behind me and I’m so alone. I can’t stop thinking about you all back home. I want to be with my baby; I need to see you and Grandad. The truth is, even though Brad is a lovely man, and a dear friend, I can’t help but feel isolated.”

They chatted on, with Maddy asking a myriad questions about life at number 8 Ackerman Street, and even about Nosy Nora next door.

“Oh, and Raymond rang again.” Ellen was always cautious when mentioning Raymond. “He asked again where you were exactly, but I told him he should send all his messages through me.”

“Did he understand why? Did you tell him that the fewer people who know, the better?”

“Yes, and he fully understood.”

“And did you give him my love, like I said?”

“I did, and he sends his back. Also, he says you’re not to come back here, until such a time as Drayton might stop looking.”

“Oh.” Maddy was surprised. “Does Raymond really think he will stop looking, one day?”

“Well, he reckons that if they search long enough and still don’t find you, Drayton just might turn his mind to other matters. Besides, it’s bound to be costing him an arm and a leg paying for these people to track you down.”

Maddy fell silent, her mind going back over that night and the words he had uttered as he was taken away. She muttered them now: “Keep looking over your shoulder… wherever you go, I’ll find you.”

“Maddy?” Ellen’s voice echoed down the receiver. “Maddy, are you still there?”

“I’m here. Sorry, I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“About what Raymond said… that he might call a halt because it’s costing him money.” There was no doubt in Maddy’s mind; “Raymond is wrong. The cost of tracking me down won’t bother a man like him. It’s a matter of principle, as far as he’s concerned.”

“But surely he can’t keep a contract out on you forever?”

Maddy enlightened her. “If he has to, yes. Especially when he’s so sure I blew the whistle on him. That is something he can’t let go. Believe me, Ellen, however much it costs him, and however long it takes, he won’t stop until he finds me. I know him. Alice knew him, too. His enemies know him even better, and they would tell you the same. He is a man feared by many people, and for good reason. He’s never been known to issue a threat, and not see it through. It’s a pride thing – a show of power to keep the troops in order. No, Ellen, trust me. That bastard will never let it rest.”

There was a moment of silence at each end, as the two of them contemplated Maddy’s foreboding words.

In a quiet, shaking voice, Ellen broke the silence. “Maddy, from what you’ve just told me, you must realize, you can never come back here. We have to find another way. We have to try and outwit both him, and his cronies. Let them scour this area all they like but it’s only a matter of time before they realize you’re not here any more. That’s when they might look elsewhere – so when their guard is down, we’ll make our move. We’ll keep them foxed if we can.”

“All right, Ellen.” Maddy gave a deep, heartbroken sigh. “Meantime, please… be careful. Look, I’d better go. I’m in the phone box on the village green, and there’s someone waiting to use it.”

They said their goodbyes and for a long time, Ellen remained by the phone as the baby gurgled at her feet. It made her heart sore to think that Maddy might one day take him away from her.

The more she thought on it, the more panic-stricken she became.

With all the tenderness of a mother, she gathered the sleepy baby into her arms and began to quietly rock him, removing his bib and wiping his sticky hands with it. “Your other mammy wants you back,” she murmured, lovingly stroking his face with the tip of her finger. “She wants to take you away from me. But we can’t have that, can we? Especially when it was her who put you in danger, when she got on the wrong side of him – that monster, your daddy. And now he wants to kill her and you! But I won’t let him. I’ll keep you safe… like I always do.”

The look of love she gave him was all-enveloping. “She went away – and now she thinks she has a right to reclaim you. And that’s a shame, because she can’t have you. You’re mine now, my own little boy.

Chucking his chin, she made him smile, that curiously wonky smile that babies make. “You see, she gave up all rights to you when she went out the door. So now, it’s only fair that you belong to me. You’re my baby… not hers! I’m your mammy now, and that’s the way it should be.” She kissed the top of his downy head, and his little nose.

Grandad Bob opened the kitchen door and called through: “Was that Maddy on the phone?”

“No.” In her misguided belief that she had a right to keep the child, Ellen was becoming an accomplished liar. “It was just a wrong number.”

“Oh dear. So that makes a fortnight since we heard from her. Do you think everything’s all right wi’ the lass?”

“Perhaps she finds it hard to get to a phone.” Ellen did not want to raise his suspicions, though she was not averse to letting him believe that Maddy had started to shift away from her son. “Mind you, if it were me, I’d move heaven and earth to find out how my son was.”

“Oh, I don’t think it’s anything to do with her not wanting to ask after him.” He was shaken by Ellen’s comment. “Happen her aunt has taken a turn for the worst and she doesn’t want to worry us.” His voice fell to a mumble. “All the same, I can’t understand why we haven’t heard from her in almost two weeks, when prior to that, she was calling every other day.”

Ellen was secretly disappointed that her grandfather had dismissed her comment as unbelievable. “Never mind how fond he is of her now,” she told the child, carrying him upstairs for a nappy change and a sleep, “at least the seed is set. The more I work on him, the sooner he’ll come to believe that you’ve been well and truly deserted.”