Lucas Nixon sat at his desk, trying to concentrate on the essay he was writing about infamous traitors of the twentieth century. It was a timely topic, as he discovered after going for a walk to the village yesterday afternoon.

While he had never met Neville Headlington-Bear, Lucas had seen the man’s picture splashed across magazines and newsstands enough times to recognise his face. And then there he was, standing beside a silver Aston Martin, looking as if he’d stepped from the pages of a Highton’s catalogue. Lucas had tried not to stare. Instead, his first impulse had been to flee. He’d darted into the Munzes’ store to pick up some treats for him and Sep. He bought an ice-cream on the way out and sat on the bench in front of the shop to eat it, which also happened to be directly in front of Mr Headlington-Bear’s fancy car. It didn’t take long for the boy to realise that Neville was now sitting inside the Aston Martin with the windows down.

‘She’ll come home. Seriously, there’s nothing to keep her in this place,’ the man had said into his phone. ‘As soon as she does, I expect that money to be in my account. I just hope I won’t have to keep up the charade for too long.’

Lucas should have got up and walked away at that point, but he wasn’t averse to the odd bit of eavesdropping, especially when it concerned his girlfriend’s estranged father. Why would Neville receive money if he and Ambrosia reconciled? Lucas wondered. It didn’t make any sense. He leaned back to hear more.

‘She’s quite the talented acrobat,’ Neville continued. ‘Gosh, no. There’s no way I’m putting up with her whining at home – she can stay at school. Anyway, it’s just a means to an end.’

It had taken all of Lucas’s willpower to refrain from turning around and telling the man exactly what he thought right then and there. Jacinta wasn’t whiny; she was brave and funny and had more talent in her left pinky than her father would ever have. Not trusting himself to keep quiet, Lucas had thrown the rest of his ice-cream in the bin and stormed off. He’d tried to call Jacinta, only to be told that she’d joined her parents for dinner. So, he’d spent a sleepless night worrying about what to do. Now it was Sunday afternoon and his stomach was tossing and turning like a washing machine on rinse cycle.

Lucas put down his pen and hurried to the phone box at the end of the hall. There was only one person who would know what to do, and he needed to speak to her right away.

Lucas telephoned Caledonia Stables and spoke to Mrs Clarkson, who said that Alice-Miranda had taken the Abboud girls for a walk to see the horses. But he didn’t want to wait until later to speak to her. Jacinta had said she was going to call on Sunday night and he needed to know before that if he should warn her or not. He quickly signed himself out and sped through the school grounds into the village, towards Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale. He was surprised to see Zahra Abboud, wearing headphones and humming to herself, with a spring in her step. Wasn’t she meant to be with Alice-Miranda?

He ran past her, then veered left through the school gates, where the playing fields, sports hall and Winchesterfield Manor went by in a blur. He charged on, not even stopping to say hello to Mrs Howard, who was tending the roses at the front of Grimthorpe House. She yelled out to him, but he just gave a wave. As the stables hove into view, he hoped his cousin was inside. Lucas ran into the building and stopped. He bent forwards, holding his sides and gasping for breath. All he could hear was his heart beating in his ears. ‘Hello?’ he called feebly.

Millie’s head popped up over the stall door at the end of the row. ‘Oh, hi Lucas. What are you doing here?’

‘I need to talk to Alice-Miranda,’ he puffed.

‘She was here a little while ago with Esma and Hatice, but they’ve gone back to Caledonia Manor,’ she said, throwing a forkful of straw into the air.

Lucas groaned. ‘Thanks,’ he said with a sigh, and turned to leave.

‘You know, Jacinta thinks you’re going to live in New York with your mother,’ Millie said. She opened the stall door and emerged with a wheelbarrow full of soiled bedding.

Lucas spun around, aghast. ‘What?’

‘Mrs Parker was blathering about it the other day. She said you’re going to live with your mum in America once she’s married.’ Millie fixed him with a no-nonsense stare. ‘Is that true?’

‘No …’ Lucas said weakly. ‘Maybe?’

Millie put her hands on her hips and arched an eyebrow. ‘Well, which is it?’

Lucas sighed. ‘Mum asked me to think about going on exchange for a year so I can spend some time with her and Blair. Fayle has a brother school, you see, called Passmore. But I haven’t said yes yet.’ He hadn’t even mentioned any of this to Sep, so how Myrtle Parker knew was anyone’s guess. Then again, she didn’t have the nickname Nosey for nothing.

‘Lucas, Jacinta’s going to be devastated even if it’s only for a year.’ Millie took up the handles and pushed the barrow towards the entrance.

The boy walked along beside her. ‘She’s going to be more upset when she finds out what her father’s up to,’ Lucas said, then realised he hadn’t planned to tell anyone but Alice-Miranda.

Millie’s face darkened. ‘Why? What do you know?’

‘Forget I said anything,’ Lucas mumbled, taking a step backwards, ‘and don’t breathe a word of this to Jacinta.’

‘Hey, you can’t tell me half a story,’ Millie protested, but the lad was out of the building like a shot. He ran and ran through the school until he reached Caledonia Stables and was heading for the mansion. Or he was, before Jacinta’s voice pulled him up short.

‘Lucas!’ she called, waving her arms as she hurried up the driveway towards him. ‘What are you doing here?’

He stopped and turned around. ‘Oh … hi.’

Jacinta took in his red face and his grey T-shirt that was now a patchwork of sweat stains.

He looked down and noticed what she’d noticed. ‘I was just out jogging and, um, I thought I’d take a new route,’ he said, cringing inside.

‘You, running?’ Jacinta laughed. ‘You’re beginning to sound like my father and all the tall tales he tells.’

Lucas gulped. ‘So, you’re on to him then?’

Jacinta frowned. ‘How do you mean? We went out for dinner last night and, well, it was a bit tense for a while. I don’t think he has the greatest sense of humour but then he apologised and gave me this.’ She reached up and touched a gold star covered in diamonds hanging around her neck. ‘It’s real, you know.’

‘So everything’s okay between the two of you?’ Lucas asked.

‘I wouldn’t say everything, but it’s better than I can ever remember.’ Jacinta shrugged. ‘He gave Mummy a beautiful emerald ring and she was so touched she started crying. He said he wanted us to be a family again and that this time, if Mummy took him back, he’d come and live in the village and see me all the time.’

Lucas bit his lip. That’s not what he’d heard.

‘What is it?’ Jacinta said.

‘I just don’t want you to get hurt again,’ he began.

Jacinta nodded. ‘He promised that he’s a different person, and Alice-Miranda always says you can only take people the way you find them. I don’t want to be mad at him forever.’

Lucas could only agree. He’d spent ages being upset with his mother for not telling him the truth about his dad, but then he’d realised that it was a huge waste of energy. Everyone had their faults, and there was nothing to gain from telling Jacinta what he’d heard – only heartache. Perhaps he’d misunderstood. The fact he hadn’t told her what he was thinking of doing was also eating away at him. It was all such a mess.

‘Do you want a drink? We can get some water,’ Jacinta offered. ‘Mrs Clarkson is in the sitting room. She won’t mind if you come in.’

Lucas shook his head. ‘I’d better be getting back. I’ve got an essay to finish for first period tomorrow.’

Jacinta’s face fell. ‘Is everything okay? You seem … I don’t know … weird,’ she said, searching his eyes. ‘Was there something you wanted to tell me?’

‘No … nope, nothing at all,’ he said, dying inside. His life had been reduced to a bad teen movie, where his brain and body were completely disconnected and the girl of his dreams was about to dump him for being a total imbecile. ‘I’d better go.’

Lucas turned and sprinted down the driveway while Jacinta stood there, watching him shrink into a dot on the horizon. It was pretty obvious to her that Lucas was hiding something, and she suspected she knew exactly what it was.