‘Perhaps you’d go to the pottery,’ he shouted to Jeremy. ‘ Tell Jo that Mrs Palmer-Jones is here. Have a word with her.’

The significance of the last phrase was not lost on Jeremy. Calm her down, Simon was saying. Tell her to keep her ridiculous accusations to herself. Jeremy nodded to show that he understood, but thought that he was not up to the job.

Joanna was standing, softening a piece of clay by throwing it over and over again on to the wooden bench. Jeremy had expected a withdrawn depression but she seemed instead in almost hysterical good spirits. He wondered how Simon could live with the swings of mood, this wild elation, and thought he was some sort of saint.

‘Hi!’ she said. ‘Is supper ready?’

‘Almost, I should think. Simon’s just pouring some drinks.’

‘I brought mine with me,’ she said, giggling. There was a half-empty bottle of white wine on the bench beside her. She was drinking it from a coffee mug. ‘Do you want one?’

He shook his head.

‘Dear Jeremy,’ she said. ‘Always such a good boy.’

‘What is the matter?’ he asked.

‘Nothing,’ she said. ‘Nothing that a good boy like you would ever understand.’

‘There’s a visitor in the house,’ he said.

‘Who?’ She stopped laughing immediately. ‘Not my bloody mother?’

‘No,’ he said. ‘Of course not. It’s Ursula’s niece.’

‘Molly?’ she said. ‘Is Molly here?’ He could not tell whether she was pleased or sorry.

‘She wants to talk to you,’ he said. ‘Will you come?’

‘Of course I’ll come,’ she said. She began to wipe her hands on her overall.

‘You will be careful what you say.’ Jeremy spoke carefully. ‘You shouldn’t make allegations you can’t substantiate.’

‘Oh, don’t worry,’ Joanna said. ‘ I’ll behave myself. I’ve had years of practice.’

She took off her overall and followed him into the house, carrying the bottle of wine with her. In the kitchen she stopped to pour some into a glass and when they reached the living room she was almost composed.

Molly, sitting in a corner in a deep armchair, saw that Joanna was drunk and suspected that she was unhappy.

‘I’m sorry to disturb you,’ Molly said. ‘But I’m staying at Back Rigg. You’ll have heard that Ursula is dead?’

Joanna nodded.

Molly turned to the men. ‘ Perhaps you would leave us alone for a while. The three of us were very close, you know, at one time.’ She thought for a moment that Simon would object, but eventually he muttered something about needing to prepare the dinner and left with Jeremy.

The women sat in silence.

‘I’m sorry,’ Joanna said. ‘ I loved her, you know.’

‘When did you last see her?’

There was a pause. ‘ I don’t know. Ages ago. I was really bad about visiting.’

‘But you saw her on Friday night?’

‘Friday night?’ Was she playing for time?