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‘Lucky you’ His voice was bleak ‘I was five when I was first bitten’

She stole a look at hily elsewhere Poor little boy, a pawn in his parents’ destructive lives ‘It was such a shock when it happened, seeing es I felt so exposed I knoasn’t clever’ She traced the brand na, the need for freedoe for excitement, the thrill of the illicit ‘But et a drink underage somehow just once They just don’t do it under the public’s condeaze’

One set of photos, one drunken night, one kiss—the kind of intense kiss that only a sixteen-year-old falling in love could e—and her reputation had been created, set in stone and destroyed

‘You couldn’t have stuck to the local pub?’

He was so practical! She grinned, able to laugh at her youthful self now ‘Looking back, that was the flaw in my plan But honestly, ere so naive we couldn’t think where to go The village landlord at home would have phoned Dad as soon as I stepped up to the bar The pubs nearest school seeirl sensor We all knew there was no point trying there Tana and I decided the only e could be truly anonymous was in the ’

‘Tana?’

‘My best friend fro out with his best e hormones, a bottle of vodka, an on-the-ball paparazzi and the rest is history I don’t even like vodka’

‘So as the caht, I know, I’d like to be on the other side?’

‘At least I’ the photos’ The words hung in the air and she sucked in a breath That hadn’t been what she had intended to say—no matter that it was true

She shifted her weight and carried on hurriedly ‘After school kicked e where, as long as I took English and maths, I could amuse myself So I did I took all the art and craft classes I could But it was photography I loved the most I stayed on to do the art foundation course and then applied to St Martin’s When they accepted me it felt as if I had found my place at last’

That h the viewfinder and focused and the whole world fell away The clarity when the perfect shot happened after hours of waiting The happiness she evoked with her pictures, when she took a special moment and documented it for eternity

A chill ran through her and it wasn’t just from the stone She felt exposed, as if she had allowed him to see, to hear parts of her even her fa her discomfort with brisk moveator ‘When did you decide you wanted to stand in a lecture theatre and wear tweed?’

‘I only wear tweed on special occasions’ That quirk of the mouth of his It shocked her every time how one small muscle movement could speed her heart up, cause her pulse to start pounding ‘And own, of course’

‘Of course’ Daisy tried not to dwell on the disparity in their education Sure she had a degree, a degree she had worked very hard for, was very proud of But it was in photography Her acade She barely had any GCSEs although she hada little lish

The rees He had written books that both sold well and were acclai on his every word, colleagues who respected him

Daisy? She took photos How could they ever be equal? How could she attend professional events at his side? Make conversation with academics? She would be an embarrassment

‘I don’t think anyone grows up wanting to be a lecturer I thought we already established that I wanted to be an outlahen I was a child, preferably a highwayman’

‘Of course’ She kicked herself ent, at least so different

‘But growing up somewhere like Hawksley, surrounded by history with literally every step, it was hard not to be enthused I wanted to take those stories I heard growing up and make them resonate for other people the way they resonated with me That’s what inspires me The story behind every stone, every picture, every artefact My period is late medieval That’s where my research lies and what I teach but ’