I decide to go into Manchester tomorrow morning and explain my situation to the mortgage company. I might have enough money in the bank to meet this month’s payment, but after that I’ll be in trouble. And after sorting – or trying to sort – my finances, I might brave a trip to see Ian. We have to agree a way forward, and perhaps he will have calmed down by now. I need more clothes too. I brought the bare minimum with me – the things I was wearing plus another pair of jeans, a pile of underwear and two jumpers.

Then a thought hits me: How am I going to get out in the morning? I’m confined to my floor until the cleaners have gone, and the door isn’t unlocked until they leave. I’ve still never seen them, and I never hear footsteps or the sound of talking, laughter or singing. Maybe they are told to be quiet. There’s only one thing to do: I need to find Thea and ask her how I can go out without the cleaners seeing me. I also need to say that it’s probably time I left, although I may have to ask if I can stay for a while longer – at least until either Ian moves out or I manage to get a job so I can afford to rent a room in a house somewhere.

I’ve never been down to the lower floors of the house without Thea to escort me, other than to go out of the side door if I feel like a short stroll. She normally pops up in the afternoon with a dish of something she thinks I might like for dinner – stew or soup – ready to be reheated, and often suggests I have a walk around the garden. But most of the time I can’t be bothered. The only part of the grounds I’m not supposed to walk in is the rose garden. That seems to be a special place for Thea, and from my window I have seen her sitting out there, hunched in a thick coat. I made a token effort to go outside earlier and had a short stroll around the lawn, but I really don’t have the energy for anything more strenuous.

With renewed determination to beat the lethargy that’s plaguing me, I push open the door to the staircase and start to make my way down. For some reason I feel I have to walk on tiptoe, but as I’m only wearing socks I’m unlikely to be heard. When I reach the first-floor landing I don’t stop. I know this is where Thea and Garrick sleep and I wouldn’t dream of going into that part of the house, so I head down to the ground floor.