“Yes, I do. She was small when I knew her. Maybe six or seven.”
Tom nods. “That would have been about right, yes, for when you knew her.”
Charlotte tugs her hand from Michael, hugs herself, rocking slightly in her seat, head bowed.
Jade….
The room falls silent. Michael wraps his arms around her. “I’m not going to ask if you’re alright, Charlotte…” He kisses her hair. “…. but you will be.”
Tom jerks his head up. “Charlotte?”
She shudders, brings her head up again, then swipes a hand through her hair. Her eyes are glossy. “You were right. I did change my name.”
Tom’s face cracks into a smile. “You changed your name, and you called yourself after the horse?”
She beetroots up as the tension in the room twangs loose. Michael creases up with laughter.
“I loved that horse,” she mutters.
