Chapter 1

Somewhere in the desk drawer there had to be some coins, loose change that she might have dropped in there after returning from the shops or when emptying her pockets. She found pens, batteries which were certainly flat, a few business cards and bits of electronics, but no money. She exhaled loudly and leaned back in her chair. At twenty-three, Holly was in the very last stretch of her four year degree course in Business Marketing at Witney University and by all measures she was doing very well. She had one final exam the following day, after which she would be able to relax, get up late, watch TV and find herself a book to read that didn’t contain details on balance sheet accounting, marketing campaigns or social media penetration tactics. But she was hungry and that feeling had been reminding her for the past half hour that someone needed to go to the shops. With divine intervention from somewhere, she grinned, grabbed her pencil box and tipped it up on the desk. There were four dollar bills, change that her boyfriend had slipped into her panties as a joke ‘tip’ when he had bought pizza a few weeks ago. She grabbed the money, pulled on her pink trainers and went downstairs to the front door, deciding that she wasn’t sure if her flatmate was in so she didn’t call out that she was going to the shops. She closed the door gently and set off up the road with a skip in her step. It was early May and spring had announced itself with days in the upper sixties, warm enough leave her jacket behind even though the breeze blew her long, dark hair around her shoulders.

Witney had been the perfect university and town for her, with its campus dating back over three hundred years, complete with gargoyle-decorated sandstone buildings and Georgian towers, pedestrian walkways and a central, open-air market close by in the city itself. There was even a small, shallow river which ambled through lush green fields, ideal for wandering, picnics and general relaxing. She knew every street, shop, bar and feature of the place and her sense of belonging mingled with pride and a degree of ownership. The place had treated her well and she had grown from a shy, insular eighteen-year old girl into a woman with a strong sense of duty, compassion and excitement for the future.

The local shop was small by any modern day standards but sold necessities at reasonable prices. The little bell over the door tinkled as she entered, the aroma of coffee and warm bread filling her nostrils as it always did, providing a sense of wellbeing, home and permanence. She picked up a pack of rolls, some sausages, canned tomatoes and spaghetti, then handed over five dollar bills and the exact coins required. She smiled at the cashier as she grabbed the carrier bag and headed back home, past the market stalls, the bank and newsagents. She mentally thanked Rob for the cash as she turned into Foley Road and passed the huge houses with three floors above ground, stone steps up to the their grand front doors and black, wrought-iron fencing around their property lines. She was unsure who lived there or who might be able to even afford one of those places. She had seen taxis arrive outside on Saturday nights in the summer, with passengers slipping out in long dresses accompanied by tuxedo-clad men. That was not her scene and probably never would be.

Chapter 2 »