In the glow of the same streetlamp, Patsy’s curly ginger hair became bright orange, making her stand out in the monochrome landscape. By mutual consent, they tucked themselves as close as they could in the shadow of a large privet hedge, which not only provided them with shelter from the icy wind, but from any prying eyes that might be looking out of neighbouring windows.

‘I’m ever so glad you came, Juliet,’ Patsy said, clutching the sleeve of Juliet’s luxurious coat with gloveless, icy hands. ‘I’ve been that worried, I can’t tell you! I thought I was going to just die!’

Juliet ignored the dramatic language thinking that, for once, Patsy had probably earned a few histrionics. ‘What the hell happened?’ she hissed instead, glancing around nervously at the deserted streets. ‘Were you in his car when it crashed?’

‘Of course I was in the car,’ Patsy squeaked, aggrieved. ‘That was the plan, wasn’t it? Hang around until he came out then beg a lift to my auntie’s place in Wolvercote? And then … you know …’

Juliet nodded impatiently. ‘Yes, yes, that was the plan. So you were actually with him when the smash happened?’ she repeated.

‘I was. And I was never so scared in all my life,’ Patsy said, putting her spare hand on her chest and patting it comfortingly.

She probably meant it too, Juliet mused, but it came out with so much gasping and eye rolling that Patsy sounded like a third-rate actress in a trite thriller, killing any genuine sympathy she might have felt stone-dead.

Not that Juliet was known in her peer group for her sympathetic personality.

‘Just tell us what happened,’ Jasper, impatient and unimpressed by all this girlish chatter, demanded harshly. His voice had a flat, ugly lash to it that made Patsy’s hand on his sister’s arm tighten instinctively in reaction.

‘Jasper, don’t be a pig,’ Juliet admonished him. It was not that she didn’t agree with him, but rather that she knew the best way to deal with Patsy was to let her indulge herself. ‘Can’t you see the poor girl’s been through an ordeal?’ Juliet speared her brother with a speaking look and he sighed and held up both hands in surrender.

‘Pats,’ Juliet said, letting her voice turn sugary. ‘You managed to waylay him in the driveway, like we hoped, and you told him about spending the night in Wolvercote. Right so far?’

‘Yes, and he said that was right close to where he lived, and he could give me a lift if I wanted, just like you said he would.’ Patsy nodded. ‘Wasn’t that clever of you both? That you knew he’d do that!’ She spoke to appease, her eyes still darting nervously from Jasper to Juliet.