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.Don’t let it be over, he silently begged, waiting for her to turn and smile over her shoulder at him.Give me a sign.But he watched until she was out of sight and she never looked back.May was getting used to the caravan and was beginning to feel relaxed in her new surroundings.After a rare night of uninterrupted sleep, she was just coming to when she was jolted by a heavy thud on the thin roof, swiftly followed by another.Aiden? Had he discovered her hiding place? Two days, he’d said, but was he about to bully her into early submission? Listening intently while her sleepy brain scrambled for a plan, her fear turned to relief as the thudding became a scampering then a loud squawk as war broke out between two seagulls.‘Running away from your troubles is a race you’ll never win.’ That’s what Harry had told her.May sat up in the narrow bed with its cheerful bedspread of knitted coloured squares and looked around.She liked how the space had been sympathetically refurbished without losing its unique character.There was a neat galley kitchen with painted pale green units running along one length, at one end a compact seating area, again kitted out in cool, sea greens, with stunning unbroken views across the creek and, at the other, a minuscule bathroom.What she liked best, though, was the atmosphere; a strange sense of serenity and sanctuary that made her feel as if the previous inhabitant had handed it on with love.May guessed that some people might have been spooked by that feeling and the secluded location, but it made her feel stronger.She felt safe in this small caravan, isolated as it was.Instead of sitting there waiting for Aiden to make his next move, could she take Harry’s father’s advice and come out fighting?Rather than waste any more time worrying about what she couldn’t change, May decided it wouldn’t hurt to put herself first for a day.Although her break was only a temporary reprieve, every hour away from the pressures of her previous life would give her time to regain sufficient mental strength to face the future.Answerable to no one for the first time in far too long, she relished the thought of some time to herself to wander and explore.Later, if she felt like it, she would ring Bill, just to see how his uncle was faring – that was a perfectly reasonable thing to do, wasn’t it?Right now, she had practical matters to attend to.Like silencing her groaning stomach and doing some shopping.The contents of her rucksack had been enough to see her through a week or so but needed supplementing for a longer stay.She’d look out for a new notebook too, just in case she was tempted to start writing again.Little Spitmarsh, she was quickly realising, was a town of two halves.Towards the seafront, developers had restored many of the lovely Victorian villas, a cluster of cutesy shops selling vintage tat or cupcakes and a smattering of galleries created an illusion of prosperity in the most picturesque part of the town, but the tide of gentrification spluttered to a halt further along the high street, leaving a depressing wasteland of charity shops, the remnants of national retail chains and empty spaces.Ignoring the rather chichi cafés in the old town, May chose the Paradise Café, with its amazing views across the muddy North Sea.In Cornwall it would probably have been swallowed up by a TV Chef’s empire, but here, thankfully, its refurbishment was comfortably low key with stripped floorboards, shabby-chic sofas arranged in pairs and free Wi-Fi.Whoever owned the Paradise Café seemed to be of the opinion that heavy-handed interior design was an unnecessary distraction from the hearty food on offer and the superb views.It was an approach May rather applauded.Fully equipped with a chunky bacon sandwich and a large cappuccino, she had just settled herself into a sofa with stunning sea views and was looking forward to enjoying the peace and quiet when the doors flew open and what felt like a small army of mummies and babies marched noisily in.May looked at the vacant sofa opposite protectively, wondering what would be regarded as reasonable defence of her territory, when a tall, attractive woman with dark hair approached her
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