‘I don’t mind.’ She sounded tired, as though she would much prefer to return to her cottage.

‘Thomas?’ Maddie said.

‘Yep, why not?’

‘Count me in too,’ said Neil, rubbing his hands together.

‘Yay, thanks, Dad,’ Elise said. ‘Love you.’

‘Love you too, sweetheart.’

‘More than anything?’

‘More than anything.’

‘Will you play, Robert?’ Elise asked.

Amelia glanced at her dad. His eyes were closed, clearly desperate to shut out the evening. ‘Not me,’ he said. ‘I’ll be heading back soon.’

‘Nor me,’ Rosamund said. ‘I hate this kind of game. Far too intrusive.’

Elise rolled her eyes. ‘Amelia, will you play?’ she asked. ‘Lark, what about you?’

Lark didn’t look up from her phone. ‘Not even if my life depended on it,’ she said.

‘I’ll watch,’ Amelia said, and her dad smiled, as though acknowledging their similarities.

‘OK. You start, Caroline,’ Elise said.

‘OK then.’ She smiled, but her eyes were dull. ‘When I was young I had a beautiful collie dog and we named her Lassie after the films.’

Lie. You would have told me, Mum, Amelia thought.

‘What films?’ asked Elise.

‘They were about a beautiful dog who was a hero.’ She was wearing the wig she had on earlier, and kept fiddling with it, scratching her forehead. She seemed self-conscious, and Amelia wanted to tell her she looked beautiful with or without the wig.

‘The films were long before your time, Elise,’ Neil said. ‘And mine too, come to that.’

‘Lie,’ Elise said bluntly.

‘Aren’t you going to ask my mum some more questions first?’ Thomas said.

‘No, I can tell she’s lying. I have a gift. I always know when Rosamund is lying.’ She glared at her stepmother. ‘Don’t I, Rosamund?’

‘Lie,’ said Thomas, ignoring Elise’s dig at Rosamund. ‘I’m sure you would have told us about it, Mum.’

‘Unfair advantage,’ Jackson said with a laugh. ‘I’ll say lie too.’ His eyes were on Lark again. Amelia had seen it before. The way he looked at her. Couldn’t Mum see it?

‘Lie,’ Neil and Maddie said together.

‘Yes, it’s a lie; you caught me out.’

‘Dad, it’s your go.’ Elise was in full control of the game, and loving every moment. She was a spoilt girl – a little irritating.

Neil tapped his lip with his forefinger. ‘OK. When I was at school, a bunch of boys locked me in the caretaker’s cupboard over the weekend. I had to use a bucket for the loo.’

‘That’s so gross,’ Lark muttered, turning up her nose, eyes still glued to her phone.

‘Oh, Dad, that’s awful,’ Elise cried. She jumped up and came up behind his chair. Wrapped her arms around his neck.

‘You don’t even know if it’s true yet,’ Lark said, finally looking up.