‘I suppose not,’ Sarah said, but she didn’t sound completely convinced.
Her bowl licked clean, Willow stepped back, and the man called Vulcan forward for his turn. I shifted from paw to paw impatiently.
‘You’ll get used to it,’ John said to Sarah, suddenly. ‘Life here, I mean.’
‘Or I’ll leave,’ she said. ‘I’ve heard it already.’
The man shrugged. ‘It’s not like any other job, working in the Palace. Some people are born to it. Others … aren’t.’ He gave her a sideways look. ‘Of course, you had the family connections, didn’t you?’
‘You mean my godfather,’ Sarah said, and sighed.
‘Butler at Windsor Castle, I heard.’ John raised an eyebrow. ‘Must make it easier, when you’ve got an in like that.’
‘I applied for the position the same as everyone else.’ Sarah sounded offended. ‘And I worked hard to get it, thank you very much.’
John threw up his hands in mock surrender. ‘Okay, okay. Sorry, then.’
Sarah sighed again. ‘No, I’m sorry. It’s just … some of the other girls, they’ve been saying the same thing. Like I can’t ever be one of them, because of who my godfather is.’
‘I wouldn’t worry about them,’ John said, dismissively. ‘They’ll get over it.’
‘Maybe,’ Sarah said, but she didn’t sound very certain.
Finally, after Vulcan and Candy, it was my turn to eat. I waited, panting, for John to give me the signal, then dove onto my bowl. I didn’t care about dinner manners, or protocol. I was starving!
The food was worth waiting for, though. Succulent, tasty – and all coated in a gravy that was like nothing I’d ever tasted before. As I savoured my last mouthful, I remembered that Willow had said that the Queen held the secret recipe for it herself.
No wonder everyone was so in awe of Her. It all made sense now.
I stepped back from my empty bowl, already knowing there wouldn’t be any more. John might think we were spoilt, but I’d give a lot for a doggy chocolate drop right then.
As John and Sarah packed up the plastic sheet, and took the bowls to be washed, the other dogs headed back to our room to sleep off the meal. I trotted along behind, uncertain of what else to do.
‘See you all tomorrow,’ Sarah called to us. I looked back to see John rolling his eyes at her, but Sarah didn’t seem to notice.
That night, as I curled up in my comfortable, draught-free basket, listening to the other dogs snoring and snuffling, I had a thought.
Willow might have spent some time explaining to me how things at the Palace worked, but I was under no illusion that she actually wanted me there. And Candy and Vulcan were even worse. But they weren’t my only options.
If the Palace dogs didn’t want to be my friends just yet, I’d just have to make friends with the humans, instead. Starting with Sarah.
Maybe she could help me get home to my family.
‘No, I understand. Thank you for your time.’ Amy rubbed her forehead as she hung up the phone, sure that the officer on the other end must think she was a complete idiot. Of course she understood that London was a big city, and that finding one small dog in it was an almost impossible task. It was just that the facts didn’t stop her hoping.
What she couldn’t explain to the officer – who probably wouldn’t care even if she could find the words – was that Henry wasn’t just one more dog in a city that was full of them. He was special. Important.
How could she make the authorities understand how empty the house felt without Henry there? How Claire had cried herself to sleep again last night, but without a furry friend to comfort her. How Jack had gone completely silent – and stopped filling the dishwasher now Henry wasn’t there to tackle the plates. How cold and lonely Amy’s bed had been that morning, when there wasn’t a wet little nose pressing against her neck, hoping for some breakfast.
Amy glanced up at the hook where Henry’s lead hung, unused and unnecessary.
How had she never realised how much of a hole Henry would leave behind in their lives? Until now, when it was too late.
The phone in her hand beeped again, and she sank down to sit on the stairs to listen to the voicemail, left when she was on the phone to any one of a number of authorities in Greater London she’d been checking in with throughout the day.
Maybe, just maybe, one of them would be calling back to tell her they’d found Henry, at last.
She scowled automatically as Jim’s voice came on the line. One of the hardest parts about focusing on the future was the way the past kept interrupting her efforts.
‘Hey, Amy. Um, look, about this Christmas. I know we talked about me having the kids on Boxing Day, but a friend of Bonnie’s has this great cabin in the Alps, and they’ve invited us to go spend Christmas out there, skiing. I figured you wouldn’t mind – I know how you love having Christmas at home with the kids, so really, this all works out, right? Anyway, I thought I’d come see the kids Tuesday evening. Drop off presents and all that. Yeah? Okay, see you then.’
And just like that, all her plans were pushed aside, ignored, and Jim had assumed her agreement with all of them. Really, it was just like they were still married.
Oh. The thought washed over her as Amy realised something – she was glad they weren’t married any more. When Jim had first gone, she’d been distraught, wondering how she’d cope without the man she’d thought would be her partner for life.
Somehow, over the past six weeks, she’d come to see that being alone was far better than being with someone who didn’t want to be there.
Her life was wide open now – her future still to be written.
Except for the part where her ex would be stopping by on Tuesday.
Jabbing at the phone screen, Amy deleted the message, and sighed. Future later. First, she had to prepare her kids for not seeing their father at all over Christmas. And for seeing him on Tuesday.
She wasn’t entirely sure which one would go down worse.
Sighing, she checked her watch. Still too early for wine.
‘Kids?’ she called up the stairs, waiting for a thundering of footsteps or a yell to tell her they’d heard her. ‘Can you both come down here a moment.’
Might as well get it over with. Like pulling off a sticking plaster. Or a really painful bikini wax.
‘Have they found Henry?’ Claire asked, as she bounced down the stairs. ‘Is he coming home?’
Amy winced. ‘No, sweetie, I’m sorry. I just checked in with the authorities again, and there’s still no sign.’
Claire’s face fell, her blue eyes wide and sad. Amy reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close against her. With Claire on the second step, and Amy on the floor, Claire was almost as tall as her.
It won’t be long before she’s grown up and leaving, too, Amy realised. Jack would be off to university in September – at least, he would if he knuckled down and got back to work. Since Jim had left, his homework had been erratic, to say the least.
Something else to worry about.
Jack appeared at the top of the stairs, his usual scowl firmly in place. ‘What’s the problem?’
‘No problem,’ Amy said, as cheerfully as she