Page 84 of Daydreaming at the Boathouse Cafe

Beth laughed. ‘It’s not my fault that my favourite vintage style is from the sixties,’ she said. ‘I love those miniskirts.’

‘And you’ve got the amazing legs to go with them,’ Lily told her.

But Hannah couldn’t get over what Ella had just said. ‘Look, I know you’ve got a classic style which is gorgeous, by the way,’ she said to Ella. ‘But why should Beth change whatever she wears just to placate some weirdo on the tube? She should be able to wear what she likes whenever she likes and not be hassled because of it.’

All three friends turned to look at her with surprised looks on their faces.

‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard you speak like that,’ said Lily.

Ella nodded. ‘And I absolutely agree with your sentiment, by the way. Who’d have thought? Hannah Jackman embodying the spirit of girl power.’

Hannah giggled. ‘I did just sound like someone else, didn’t I?’ she said, now feeling a little embarrassed.

‘Oh, no, you can’t take it back now,’ said Ella, shaking her head. ‘The mouse has started roaring and we love you even more for it.’

‘What’s changed?’ asked Lily.

Her friends waited whilst Hannah tried to find the right words to explain to them how she was feeling. ‘I guess it was this place,’ she said, gesturing around the café. ‘I had to be brave at long last and yes, it totally took me out of my comfort zone and yet I’m proud of myself,’ she said, before slumping back in her chair in amazement. ‘I’ve never said that before.’

‘Well, it’s long overdue,’ said Lily, smiling at her.

But Hannah couldn’t find her own smile. Instead, she was thinking back to the worst of times in her life. ‘Actually, it’s ten years overdue,’ she said in a soft tone.

There was a short silence whilst her friends exchanged concerned looks.

‘Since Sean,’ prompted Beth, gently.

Hannah hesitated before finally nodding. Would her friends judge her for being with him in the first place?

‘You know, you’ve never told us what happened all those years ago.’ Ella reached out and took Hannah’s spare hand to squeeze it in hers. ‘We will never ever judge you,’ she said, as if reading her friend’s mind.

And that what good friends did, thought Hannah. But despite trusting them implicitly, she had kept a secret from them. The fallout from her relationship with Sean had been her burden alone to carry. She had never shared quite how bad it had been with him, although her friends knew that it hadn’t been good. But now, she finally felt strong enough to tell them the truth.

Hannah took a deep breath. ‘He frightened me.’

She heard her friends breathe in sharply.

‘Did he ever hurt you?’ asked Lily, frowning.

Hannah shook her head. ‘Not physically, no. But mentally? Absolutely. He used to criticise me over and over, making me think that every little fault that I had was of my own making. Whatever I did, however hard I tried, I was never good enough. Then one night, he shouted at me and he was so angry. So very angry.’ She shivered and Lily leant across to wrap her arm around her.

‘Tell us,’ said Beth, coming over to kneel in front of her. She squeezed Hannah’s knee with her hand and then her friends waited.

‘He pushed me over one evening, shouting over and over at me. Afterwards I lay there in bed that night shaking with fear,’ said Hannah. ‘He was asleep and I just prayed that he didn’t wake up. It was the longest night of my life. I was so worried. I honestly thought that he was going to hurt me. So, after he’d left for work the next day, I quickly packed up my stuff and somehow made it home on the train. I ran away.’

‘And there’s no shame in that,’ said Ella. Despite her firm nod, there were tears glittering in her eyes. ‘You left him and you were safe, that was the main thing.’

‘Thank goodness,’ said Beth, shaking her head and looking upset.

‘We knew it was bad,’ said Lily, squeezing her even tighter. ‘Of course we did, but we never knew how bad.’

‘So he’s the reason that you’ve never dated anyone since then,’ said Ella.

‘Well, Maple Tree Lodge hasn’t exactly been overflowing with available men,’ said Hannah, with a small smile.

‘And even if it had been?’ prompted Beth.

Hannah shook her head. ‘I’ve never been comfortable with anyone to feel that way,’ she said.