‘Well, it was when we turned off the main road into the side ones. The snowploughs hadn’t gone through there for some time, and the back end of the car just seemed to slide right out from under us as we turned. I thought he’d correct the wheel, like he’d been doing, but he just didn’t. His chin was on his chest, and he wasn’t even holding the wheel, I don’t think, because I noticed the steering wheel was sliding through his hands. And then we just skidded into this snow and the tree beyond it. I was so frightened I couldn’t even scream!’

Just as well, Jasper thought callously to himself. If she had let rip, it would have brought somebody running for sure. And then they would all have been in the soup. They wouldn’t have been able to rely on this nitwit to keep her head in an emergency.

‘It was good thinking on your part not to make a sound,’ Juliet said, forcing herself to smile in admiration. ‘You kept a cool head. You must have been really up against it, but you were clever enough to keep quiet.’

At this, Patsy positively beamed, conveniently forgetting that it had been fright and shock that had kept her paralysed in her seat for several seconds after the collision.

‘You obviously weren’t hurt yourself?’ Juliet pressed on. ‘You got out the car and walked away all right?’

‘Yes, I did.’ Patsy gulped. ‘We didn’t hit the tree that hard, to be honest. He’d already slowed right down to make the turn, and since I had time enough to guess what was going to happen, I braced myself with my hands on the dash. It was more of a jolt than anything else. But I couldn’t get the door to open very wide. I don’t know if it got dented, or if it was because of the snow pressing against us, but I managed to wiggle out of the gap anyway. Then I just ran off to my auntie’s place. It was only a quarter of a mile or so, but it was so dark, and my ears were ringing, and it was so cold, I thought I might die! Really I did.’

She looked hopefully from one to the other, but this time there were no congratulatory comments on her bravery.

‘But you didn’t let on anything to your aunt, right?’ Jasper demanded instead. ‘She didn’t realise anything out of the ordinary had happened?’

Again, the twins held their breath for the all-important answer.