Helen pushed the thought away. She knew she had a tendency to obsess about things that were painful and difficult but she would not give in to the darkness. Today was a day for celebrating the good things in life. Like the fierce joy Alison Sprackling had exhibited on being reunited with her precious daughter. Or the quiet, but equally fierce love that Charlie felt for her baby girl.
Helen had no family to speak of now and at times like this she was wont to distance herself from life, to retreat and hide. But for once she didn’t want to. It was a beautiful day and she felt at peace with the world. More than that, she felt connected to it, Charlie having sprung two momentous surprises on her, during the course of their morning together. First by asking her to be godmother to Jessica, a request that had rendered Helen temporarily speechless. She had happily accepted the role of course, once she had recovered from the shock – and a good thing too – for in a subsequent nod to their ever-deepening friendship, Charlie topped off the day’s surprises by revealing Jessica’s middle name.
Helen.
THE BEGINNING
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PENGUIN BOOKS
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First published 2015
Copyright © M. J. Arlidge, 2015
Cover images: © Amy Weiss/Arcangel Images; © Alamy
The moral right of the author has been asserted
ISBN: 978-1-405-91920-3
The Doll's House: DI Helen Grace 3 Page 27