In the open café at the top of the beach, that is exactly what she had. In fact, they ordered one each, and devoured every last drop.

As they strolled home to Ackerman Street, Maddy thought it had been the most wonderful day. “I’ve laughed so much I ache,” she told them.

Ellen said she’d like to do it all over again, while Grandad Bob had turned an interesting shade of green. “I’d best get home a bit quick,” he warned. “I reckon that milk-shake is churning to get out.”

While Grandad had a lie-down to settle his stomach, Maddy and Ellen sat downstairs, talking about the future. “I reckon you and me will be fine here,” Ellen told Maddy. “We’re far enough away from the bad stuff not to worry. It’s best if we just go from day to day, then by the time your baby comes, we’ll have decided what to do, long-term.”

“I think that’s a good idea.” Maddy was content with that. “But I can’t stop thinking about Alice. You said Raymond would let you know about…,” she gave her a knowing look.

“I did. And he will.” Ellen tried not to show her guilt. The less Maddy knew about the truth of it all, the sooner she could let her mind rest and concentrate on the future.

“Thank you so much, Ellen.” Reaching out, Maddy took hold of her hand. “You’re such a good friend. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

Coming here with Ellen had given her an opportunity to start again. And yet, she still had not found peace of heart. She knew, more than most, how vengeful a man Steve Drayton could be; he did not forgive his enemies; especially one who he believed to have brought the authorities down on him.

Like Ellen, she felt safer having put the miles between herself and Soho though her deeper instincts warned her to remain ever-vigilant.

It was as Drayton had promised. No matter how far she might run, or wherever she might hide, one day, somehow, he was bound to track her down.

And when it happened, she must be ready; for all their sakes.

During that first week in Blackpool, Maddy felt more loved and wanted than at any time she could recall.

Every day she made a new discovery as she explored the town; her friendship with Ellen deepened and blossomed, and Grandad Bob was so loving and attentive, she almost began to believe he really was her very own grandfather. And, most glorious of all, she and Ellen were practicing daily at the piano, keeping their voices exercised, learning new songs together.

Now today was Friday, and it was Maddy’s first appointment at the hospital. Her new GP, round the corner from Ackerman Street, had taken her on and booked her an early appointment for a full pregnancy checkup.

She and Ellen had already been waiting for an hour, and Ellen was growing increasingly impatient. “What time did you say your appointment was?”

“Two o’clock, I think.” Opening her handbag, Maddy checked her appointment card. “Yes, that’s right.”

“Hmh!” Ellen glanced up at the wall clock. “And here it is, already five past three. I think it’s time to have a word with the receptionist.”

“No, Ellen.” Maddy was nervous enough without antagonizing anybody. “I’m sure they’ll call me soon.”

Another five minutes passed, then ten, and Ellen was about to storm the desk when a brisk, official voice called out, “Maddy Delaney?”

Flustered and anxious, Maddy leaped out of her chair and rushed across the room.

“Right!” Turning on her heel, the floppy-faced woman instructed Maddy to follow her. “Your first checkup, isn’t it?”

“Yes, er… yes.” She wasn’t sure whether to call her Sister or Nurse, so she decided not to address her as anything.

When the woman marched into a little white room, Maddy obediently followed. “Sit down there.” She gestured to an upright chair beside the desk. “I need to ask you a few questions.”

Clutching her bag and biting her lip, Maddy did as she was told, though mentally wishing herself anywhere but here.

Thankfully it did not take long to establish her name, age, address and situation. “So, you’ve only recently moved here then?”

“That’s right, yes.”

The woman looked at her. “Are you nervous?”

“Yes, I am a bit.”

“No need to be. I don’t bite.”

Wishing it was all over, Maddy managed a half-smile.

“I’m here to help – to make certain that you and the baby are healthy and fit for the birth. Now, how far along do you think you are?”

“Well, I’ve missed three periods.” Maddy did a mental calculation. “So I thought I might be about four months, or maybe more – I’m not really sure.” She could not quite pinpoint the exact moment when she began to suspect she might be pregnant. “You see, I had a little show, but then nothing, so it was confusing.”

“Right. Well, let me asssure you, even if you did have a little show, it doesn’t mean to say there is anything wrong.”

Realizing that, unlike her previous expectant mother that afternoon, Maddy was not about to give her any trouble, the woman smiled warmly. “So relax, stop worrying; everything will be checked thoroughly. And before you leave here, we’ll know within a fortnight of when the baby might be due. All right?” Another, even warmer smile.

“Yes, thank you.” Maddy was beginning to relax.

“Off you go then.” She pointed to the cubicle. “Strip to your bra and knickers, then step on the scales.” While Maddy did that, the midwife dug in her desk drawer for the tape measure. “How tall are you?”

“About five foot two, I think.” Dreading the examination, Maddy draped her skirt over the back of the chair, and waited.

To Maddy, the next half hour seemed more like three hours. Until at last she came back into the waiting room, flushed and breathless. “Ooh, let’s get out of here,” she said in a low voice. “I need a decent cuppa tea.”

At the café, Maddy relayed the news. “The midwife said that everything seems to be going to plan. She reckons, give a week either way, the baby should arrive late December.”

Ellen was thrilled. “Oh Maddy, that’s great! You never know, it could be born on Christmas Day – wouldn’t that be amazing?”

Maddy went on excitedly, “She said if I seemed to be carrying it more back than front, that can often mean it might be a girl, but then she said she’d been fooled a couple of times, so I wasn’t to take that as gospel.”

“So, how would you feel about it being a girl?” Ellen asked.

Maddy shrugged. “I’m not sure,” she said. “At first I thought I would love it to be a girl. But now, I’m not so sure.” She grinned at Ellen. “Twins would have been nice, because then I might have got one of each.”

“So, are you saying you really want a boy?”

“No, I’m not saying anything, either way.” Her face lit with the softest of smiles, as she told Ellen, “You see, this baby already has my love, and that will never change.” She tenderly laid her hand across herself. “Boy or girl, it won’t matter one way or the other.”

Just now, as she looked into Maddy’s face, Ellen suddenly understood the depth of her friend’s love for that tiny new life inside her. It was a humbling thing; one of those magic moments when you feel as though you have been given an insight into someone else’s soul.

Right from the start, Ellen felt that she had known Maddy forever, and that their deepening friendship would overcome every bad thing that life could throw at them.

Reaching out, Maddy took Ellen’s hand into her own. “I promise you something,” she said. “This baby will know and love you… just like I do.” She had seen Ellen studying her face, and she felt the kindred spirit. In this life, you meet many people, she told herself – fleeting acquaintances, neighbors, and sometimes a passing friend or two. But you only ever get that one very special friend. For Maddy, that friend was Ellen. And as long as she drew breath, Ellen would be in her life. Maddy believed that, without any shadow of doubt.