A time FOR US
Letting herself into the empty house felt so strange now that her mother was gone. So terribly quiet. Just the sound of her own footsteps echoing in the hallway. No distant radio playing in the kitchen. No one calling out your name and striding enthusiastically towards you.
No more hugs and kisses and cups of tea. No more motherly advice or gossip about the neighbours and what some of her old school friends were up to.
It hit Lucy hard now. Like a ton of bricks.
Although she could feel and sense her mother in every nook and cranny of the house, she would never see her or hold her again. And she felt so alone.
And then there was all the clutter and paperwork to go through before she could even think about selling the place, which was why she planned on staying for a few weeks.
Lucy took her suitcase upstairs to her old bedroom and unpacked.
Her first-ever teddy bear still sat on one of the shelves. Her mother had been under strict instructions never to throw him away.
She picked him up and gave him a gentle squeeze.
Lucy was tired. Norfolk was a long drive from her home on the outskirts of London, so she went to bed early and soon fell into a deep sleep.
During the night, she had a very vivid and curious dream about her mother, who
