Emilie sneered at him.
“You must be a great bargaining chip for someone to kidnap you and your disagreeable personality. I don’t believe I’m even saying this to a child.”
“Then don’t,” Sammy interrupted, “Ignore her.”
They drove on in silence. Stately homes and lavishly restored mansions could be seen at the end of long, pebbled drives that branched off the lane every few hundred meters. Forest was impressed. Clara Green could afford privacy.
“Here we are,” Sammy tore the van into a narrow single track. A couple of minutes later they stopped at a wrought iron gate. It was tall and it was closed. The manor was barely visible, a little uphill, surrounded by clusters of willows and birches.
“Blimey, everyone should live in places like this,” Kenneth commented.
Forest opened his pack and
