‘Really?’ I could easily imagine Henry spending Christmas alone, planning his own little traditions with scientific precision. ‘I’m not going to drag you away on a three-hundred-mile slog for my sake, then.’

Henry frowned. ‘What I was going to say is, however, despite appreciating being here – especially Cora’s rigorously detailed itinerary – I like the sound of a cross-country adventure.’

I frowned, about to come up with another reason why I couldn’t accept his offer. Not least that I wasn’t at all sure if I liked the sound of a cross-country adventure with Henry Fairfax.

‘Bea, this is too good an opportunity to miss. I won’t be able to enjoy Christmas knowing you’re here, when you should be there, and I could have helped.’ He paused to look me right in the eye. ‘Besides, I think it’s about time I repaid my magical debt. I still owe you a big one, remember?’

I shook my head, but couldn’t help a tiny smile. ‘How could I forget? They’ve only just stopped calling me Henry’s glamorous assistant.’

He winced. ‘You have to let me repay my nine-year debt and drive you to this interview.’

When I thought about it, six hours in a car with Henry was a minuscule price to pay for a fantastic new job, fifteen minutes away from Adam. And he did owe me big-time.

‘On one condition.’

He widened his eyes in surprise. ‘Which is?’

‘You come with me when I tell my parents.’

Christmas, nine years ago

It was my first year studying at Durham University, and a whole term away from Charis House had been fabulous and terrifying in equal measure. I’d been desperate to break away from the shadow of my family and had done my best to embrace my new-found freedom. However, it was harder to leave behind my insecurities and lopsided self-image than I’d thought and, for such a country girl, even a small city like Durham was overwhelming. The main thing I’d learned, on top of a whole load of fascinating environmental study, was that my family were even more peculiar than I’d thought.

A major event of the term was breaking up with Adam, again. I’d barely heard from him for weeks, and when he cancelled coming to visit me for the second time, I declared that I was done. Partly in the hope that he’d then turn up on my doorstep to change my mind, but he’d been asked to join a new band on tour, and I knew in my heart that was wishful thinking.