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Chapter Five

Amber — Friday 7^th October 2011

She carefully applied the foundation to her cheeks, laying it on thickly to try and mask the discolouration; the last thing she needed now was for somebody to notice the change. She was almost certain that nobody had, so far, but she didn’t want to take any chances.

For some strange reason, it was always the left side of her face that showed the signs first, so she applied an extra layer there. She tutted as she saw a couple of wrinkles, but quickly set about masking their appearance as well.

Finally, she looked at her reflection in the mirror; she spent a lot of time looking in mirrors these days. There was barely any resemblance to the woman who had stood in Alan Ingleby’s bathroom eleven years earlier; Amber clearly was no more.

The mark was barely visible; it would pass inspection as long as nobody came too close. Not to worry, there were still a few days before she’d be back in that environment, and she knew from previous experience that in these early days any blotches often disappeared overnight. And if it was still there on Tuesday evening — well, it wasn’t that unusual to have a little bruising, was it? She could always come up with a believable explanation for how it happened. Why, it might even gain her a sympathetic ear; it might make her task that little bit easier.

The others had accepted her story without batting an eyelid. Her duplicity came easily with experience. Men, especially, never thought to question her. Despite her initial misgivings, this was turning out to be quite straightforward. More than three weeks had passed already. She only had to live the lie for another seven and a half. And, if things became awkward, she could always take a break. There was nothing that said she had to spend time with them in between, only that she had to be there at the start and at the finish. She considered whether it might be wise to drop out of sight for a few weeks.