But she wasn’t really listening, because underneath it all ran the fear that it had nothing to do with good fortune, that he had earned this, and she resented him because she could have done it, too, if she’d applied herself properly, become a lawyer, moved to Canada, run a business, and what she saw when she looked at Richard was not his success

He climbed the stile and began the long haul to Red Darren, his mind shrinking with the effort and the altitude, this precious trick he had learnt, doubts and worries falling away at four, five, six miles, the fretting self reduced to almost nothing, only the body working like an engine.

Melissa held Alex’s eye for two seconds and he forgot briefly about the nausea. Unzipping. Maybe normal service really was being suspended. But Melissa saw how much he wanted her and how naïve he was and the week no longer seemed empty. She walked slowly toward the front door, his gaze like sun on her back. Bitch, thought Angela, but Alex could see

Because people thought you wanted to help others whereas most of his colleagues loved the risk.