Hugo was lying on the sofa, staring at the TV. He lifted his head slightly to gaze at her as she came to a sudden stop at seeing Possession Mountain. ‘I’m afraid we’ve run out of wine,’ he said. If his tone had been apologetic, Clancy might have summoned up a smile and a light remark. Instead, he sounded accusatory, as if this were a hotel and he was about to review it on Trip Advisor.

She did just about manage to count to ten while she crossed the room to seat herself in the armchair where he could see her from his supine position. ‘I’m going to have to ask you not to take my food and drink,’ she said politely. ‘Alice knows where the supermarkets are. You’ll have to buy your own wine. Also,’ she ploughed on, trying not to give him time to object, ‘I’m hoping we can sort out some boundaries about tidiness. Your things are everywhere. If we try and be fair to one another—’

‘It’s Alice’s house.’ Hugo treated her to a big fake smile.

‘Half hers,’ said Clancy, after a shocked moment. ‘I know, because I’ve been looking after her half for years. But not one bit yours.’

‘Have you heard the marriage service lately? That sharing of worldly goods thing? What’s hers is mine.’ He rolled his eyes and turned back to the TV.

In furious silence Clancy marched up to her room in the loft, gathered up clean clothes and went down to find a bathroom on the middle floor. One bathroom door was shut and judging from the noise of a running shower emanating from it, Alice was inside.

The other bathroom was a disgusting mess. Clancy’s towels were soiled and wet, dumped on the floor in pools of water. Even the toilet hadn’t been flushed, to her utter disgust. After a few seconds to take in the awfulness of the scene, she stowed her clothes inside the airing cupboard, which was about the only place they’d remain clean and dry, and set about bleaching the whole room with angry movements and a simmering hatred for the situation in which she found herself.

Finally, she took out clean towels and her clothes and showered away the sweat and dust from her day’s gardening. The anger and disappointment inside her refused to be washed away though.

As soon as she was dressed she set out to corner Alice but was distracted by the sound of footsteps above her. In her bedroom? It was an invasion of privacy too far. Flinging down the towels and clothes she’d intended for the washing machine she flew up the stairs, quite expecting to find Hugo poking around in her things. When she flung open her bedroom door, however, it was Alice she found, gazing out of the window.

‘Haven’t you made it nice up here!’ Alice half-turned. She was wearing a cerise bandeau from which her boobs threatened to jiggle free at any moment.

Clancy tried to keep a rein on her temper. ‘Yes, it is a nice, peaceful oasis. As you’re here, may we have a chat?’ There was a bigger battle to be fought than Alice coming into her room. She guided her cousin over to the bed so they could lounge on it in an echo of when they’d been teenagers sharing a bedroom and tried her speech again. ‘I’m hoping we can sort out some boundaries, as we’re all living together. Like, you buying your own groceries. And about tidiness. Yours and Hugo’s things are everywhere. He seemed to think I should sort it out with you.’ It was a blatant misrepresentation of what Hugo had said, but Clancy was not in the mood to be scrupulously honest if a fib would serve her better.