Cormac by contrast was feeling antsy, oddly full of nervous energy for someone who was normally a pretty laid-back person. It was as if London had this static electricity that buzzed through it, making you wriggly. Maybe that was why so many people here were so skinny.

Lissa had to log on to her Skype session with her Occupational Health therapist next, which she was looking forward to about as much as a plate of snake spaghetti, so she thought she might as well get the emails over with first.

It was a very odd experience, sitting in someone’s front room, with his telly and his Xbox and his sofa and his cups and plates, and introducing yourself. Biting her lip slightly, Lissa picked up her laptop and began.

To: [email protected]

Hi, this is Alyssa Westcott. Thanks for the notes, they were really helpful.

She lied. She would definitely read them later.

The house is cool.

She didn’t mention how the idea of having an entire house to yourself, with a garden and a spare bedroom and a stove and a stream, was insane. She was sitting in about five million quids’ worth of real estate, if it could only be shifted 583 miles south.

Here’s what to look out for tomorrow. James Felixton’s dog will try to eat you, but Lee Cheung’s is fine. James’s is a little dog and Lee’s is a big dog. Please don’t try and talk too much at the Frasers’, they have form for reporting people. And park in the home car park on the Effinch estate but pay for street parking at the Widdings estate, they’re buggers.

Cormac looked at it. Well, that was a bit more useful. She didn’t seem very friendly, though, which was exactly the message that had been passed on down from everyone who had met her or met someone who had met her or simply liked to have a view on things. He really hoped this wasn’t going to turn out more stressful than London for her. Also she hadn’t asked him whether he was enjoying London. Probably assumed that he’d absolutely have to love London—who wouldn’t? He felt a little bristly about this.

To: [email protected]

Hi Alyssa, thanks for all of that. Let me know if you need me to draw you any maps, I know some places are hard to find. Also I like drawing. ☺ How are you settling in? Are you liking it?