He’d arrived back in Hatherstone on Christmas Eve, but so far I’d resisted his pleas to meet up. It was now Boxing Day, the night of the Christmas Spectacular, and I was keenly aware that Adam’s band were backstage waiting to perform later in the show. In a moment of mid-term homesickness, I’d agreed to accompany Nana Joy on the piano, but was at least avoiding having to sing or otherwise embarrass myself for once.

That was, until I spotted Adam sauntering down the corridor, causing me to duck through the nearest door to avoid him, which happened to lead into a store cupboard.

‘Ouch!’ I stumbled over a stray mop – the first sign that something was amiss; the Charis House cleaner would never dare leave anything out of place – and fell directly into something solid that turned out to be a someone.

‘Oof.’ Two hands jerked up and caught hold of my shoulders, preventing me from knocking us both over, and with a prickle of annoyance I recognised the smug tone instantly. What did catch me by surprise was the rock-hard torso I’d smacked into. It appeared Henry Fairfax had spent his first term at Cambridge in the gym.

‘What are you doing in here?’ we asked at the same time.

‘Hang on,’ Henry added, before a second later the cupboard filled with the glow of his phone torch.

‘Hiding from someone?’ he asked, squinting at me in the sudden light.

I gave a curt nod. ‘You too?’

He glanced down at his outfit, which was more than a sufficient answer. Henry wore a shiny blue magician’s robe covered in silver stars and a matching pointy hat.

‘You look ready for World Book Day.’ I couldn’t help grimacing in sympathy. ‘Did your mum make that?’

He nodded, face drooping with uncharacteristic misery. ‘She signed me up as the Great Henrico. Thought it would be fun to have me take part this year, get me more involved seeing as I’ve been away.’

‘Why a magic act?’

‘It felt less humiliating than singing. That is, it did until I saw the costume.’

‘You could just wear your normal clothes.’

‘I could. But it would hurt Mum’s feelings. That’s not the only problem, either.’

‘Oh?’

‘I mistakenly believed that learning a decent magic trick wouldn’t be that hard. I’ve watched enough Spectaculars to know that the standard is generally, well, spectacular. My trick isn’t. I don’t want to embarrass anyone.’

I leant back against a shelving unit, fascinated at this glimpse of the man behind the mask. Henry had never expressed anything close to embarrassment or dread. He assessed the options, selected the most appropriate, and proceeded accordingly. No emotion necessary.

‘Since when did you worry about that?’

He shrugged awkwardly. ‘Polly’s brought her friends from school along, thanks to Mum bigging me up for weeks. They’re expecting David Blaine.’