‘I know,’ Kate replied. ‘I know.’
It took forty-five minutes through the rush-hour traffic to reach their destination. Dani, of course, had no idea where they were driving – it had been ages since she had ventured this far from home. As they drove down a busy high street, Dani saw a bus stop. There were some girls her own age waiting for a bus without any grown-ups, and Dani remembered the one time she had tried to do that. Some of the kids from school had seen her and started to make fun of her, and she had realised she was standing on the wrong side of the road, waiting for the wrong bus. The embarrassment she had felt came back even now, and she cringed at how naïve she must have seemed.
As they carried on driving, the traffic thinned. It grew darker outside and the area seemed to grow less populated, and greener. They were still in London, Dani thought, but further out, away from the centre.
Suddenly Kate slowed down and turned right, through some big iron gates and up a long driveway. She came to a stop in a small car-parking area in front of a large house.
‘Here we are,’ Kate said as she turned the ignition off. She got out of the car, opened Dani’s door and helped her out; then she took the bag out of the boot and held Dani’s hand.
The house she led them to was large and detached, constructed from an imposing brown-grey stone. It had tall bay windows from which light spilled out to the front, casting a shadow of the window frames onto the ground. Craning her neck to look up, Dani saw that the house had lots of chimneys, and there were some tall oval windows jutting out from the roof. This was an old house, and Dani didn’t like the look of it.
Together they walked up the steps, and the social worker rang the doorbell.
‘Where are we?’ Dani asked quietly as they waited for someone to answer the door.
‘Near Sutton. Have you heard of Sutton?’
Dani shook her head, but before Kate could explain any further, the door opened and a man appeared. As soon as he saw Kate and Dani standing at the doorway, his face broke into a broad, friendly smile – the kind of smile that seemed to crease all his skin. He was in his fifties, and had neatly cut blond-grey hair. He nodded at Kate, and then bent down so that his eyes were at Dani’s level. His smile grew even broader, but she could tell that his eyes kept flickering involuntarily to the bruises on her face.
‘You must be Dani,’ he said in a soft voice. He extended his hand, and coyly Dani did the same. ‘I’m Christian,’ the man said, wrapping his warm palm around Dani’s little hand and shaking it politely. ‘Welcome to Linden Lodge, my love.’
Dani looked at Christian, and then up at Kate, who was smiling down at her, and a wave of weakness crashed over her. ‘I want to go home,’ she said.
Christian let go of her hand. ‘Well, Dani. With a bit of luck and a fair wind, you’ll start to think of Linden Lodge as your home before too long. We’re like a big family here, and we’re always pleased when new people come along. I’m going to be your key worker here, and that means we’ll be seeing a lot of each other. Tell you what – why don’t I show you where you’re going to sleep, and then you can come and meet some of the others.’
He stood up and gestured with one hand that Kate and Dani should come into the house. Kate stepped forward, and as she was still holding the social worker’s hand, Dani had no option but to follow her.
The main hallway into which they walked was long and high-ceilinged. It had a chequered floor, and at the far end there was a wide, winding staircase that led upstairs. Once she was inside the house, Dani became aware of a smell not unlike that which came from the kitchens at her school – the smell of food being cooked for a lot of people. As they walked along the hallway towards the stairs a couple of boys crossed their paths. They were older than Dani, and they looked at her with interest; but it was in Dani’s nature to feel embarrassed by unwanted attention, and she hung her head as soon as their gazes crossed.
‘Your room’s just along here,’ Christian said as they reached the top of the stairs. They were in a long corridor, lit by strip lighting, with several rooms leading off it. Christian knocked on the second door on the right; when there was no response, he opened it and ushered Dani and Kate inside.
It was a comfortable room. There was a thick red carpet on the floor, and a couple of snug-looking armchairs. The walls were covered with posters of pop stars that she didn’t recognise. Along one side of the room there was a bunk bed, and there was a further single bed positioned at right angles to it. It had a pink duvet cover, and was neatly made.
Christian pointed to it. ‘That’ll be your bed, my love,’ he said. ‘Look all right for you?’
But Dani barely heard him. She was too busy looking at the bunks. ‘Who else sleeps in here?’ she asked.
‘Ah,’ Christian smiled. ‘You’ll be sharing with two others. Both girls, about your age. Vicki and Kaz. Nice girls. I’m sure you’ll all get on like a house on fire.’
Dani had never shared a bedroom with anyone before, and the idea made her nervous. She tugged on the social worker’s arms and looked up at her. ‘Please can I go home?’ she begged. ‘Please?’
This time it was Kate’s turn to crouch down to her level. ‘Dani, I promise you, it’s just for a little bit. We have to put you somewhere where you’re going to be safe. Once your mum is feeling better, we’ll talk about you going home. But everyone here’s really nice, and Christian’s going to look after you. Aren’t you, Christian?’
The man took a step towards them and placed his hand on Dani’s shoulder. He squeezed ever so gently. ‘Of course I am, my love,’ he said. ‘We all are.’
Dani looked up at the two concerned faces smiling at her. She didn’t know why, but she thought there was something odd about the way they spoke, almost as if they were trying to convince themselves.
‘Dani,’ Kate said as she started to rummage inside her bag. ‘I need to take a photograph of your face. Do you mind if I do that?’ She pulled out a small digital camera.
The little girl shook her head. She did mind. She didn’t like people seeing her in this state, and she certainly didn’t want anyone taking photographs of her.
‘It’s just one picture, Dani. No one will see it unless it’s necessary, I promise.’
Dani wasn’t born to argue. Despite her misgivings, she stood up straight and stared flatly at the camera as Kate took her picture. As soon as it was done, she put her hand to her bruises, trying to hide them.
‘I’ve got to go now, Dani,’ Kate said gently. ‘But I’ll come back tomorrow and see how you’re getting on.’
‘Do you promise?’ Dani asked.
Kate smiled. ‘I promise.’
‘Do I have to go to school?’
‘Not tomorrow,’ Kate replied. ‘We’ll work out something called a care plan for you over the next few days, but in the meantime I just want you to get used to living here.’ She gave the little girl the bag of clothes they had packed.
‘What about my brother and sister? Can they come and see me?’
‘We’ll see about that,’ Kate said in a tone of voice that didn’t give Dani much hope. She stood up. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ she said, before turning and leaving the room.
Dani watched as the door closed, and there was an awkward moment before Christian broke the silence that had suddenly descended on the room.
‘Shall we put your things away, my love?’ he asked. ‘Look, you’ve got some drawers here, and a little bedside table of your own.’
The little girl did as she was told in a kind of trance. When her few belongings were packed away – all except the