‘To wear,’ said Luke. ‘Obviously. You can’t march around in grey sweats all day long. They’ll probably stone you as a loose woman or an enemy of the state or something. And I need to get out of these trousers before someone thinks I’m a Gaul.’

‘Is that bad?’

‘Yeah – Caesar and the Gauls. That always ends well. Can you sew?’

‘I can thread a needle,’ she said, uncertainly.

‘You can’t sew?’

‘You can?’

‘Actually, I went to a very progressive school. Girls were taught to strip an engine and boys learned to embroider. If we ever get out of this, I really must write and thank them. In my best handwriting, obviously.’ He looked around. ‘Right, reviewing our resources, we have matches, torches, water purification tablets – there’s a well over in the corner of the garden – rations and the wherewithal to clothe ourselves.’ He glanced at Jane’s face. ‘Could be worse.’

She made haste to nod. ‘Yes, it could. A lot worse.’ She stood in the doorway looking around the garden, at the new leaves slowly unfurling and the fresh green shoots everywhere. ‘This isn’t such a bad spot.’

‘No, and if no one comes to claim it – and by the looks of it, no one’s been here for years – perhaps we could dig a small patch and grow something.’

‘And we could keep rabbits,’ said Jane, recent rabbit-based events still fresh in her mind. ‘For food, I mean.’

Luke regarded her sardonically. ‘Yeah – you’re going to wring their necks, are you?’

‘No – you’ll do that. Perhaps we could have chickens, as well.’

‘Why not? And a guard dog – there are plenty of mongrels around. They can’t all have rabies.’

‘And there’s already a cat to keep the rats down.’

‘Well, there you are. We’re going to be absolutely fine.’

She nodded. ‘We’re going to be better than fine – we’re going to be great.’

27

27

Despite their brave words, they slept in the pod that night, going inside as soon as darkness fell. As Luke said, they’d had a tiring day breaking innumerable rules and regulations, and he needed his beauty sleep. Which might have been true, but neither of them slept. The pod had been powered down and they both lay awake, staring into the darkness.

Eventually, Jane said, ‘Luke, if you didn’t kill Sarah Smith and I didn’t kill Sarah Smith, then who did?’

‘Well, rumour has it she’s pissed off any number of people over the years, so take your pick.’

‘OK – don’t take this the wrong way, or think I’m ungrateful, but what would happen if we gave ourselves up and explained?’

‘I’ve been thinking about that.’

‘And?’

‘And it’s a good idea, but . . .’ He tailed away.