‘What did I say?’ Paul’s tone is triumphant. ‘Home-time, madam. It’s late.’

As if she hasn’t heard him, Izzy walks over to Ash.

‘Watch out, sweetie.’ Melissa puts out a hand to restrain her. ‘He’s just gone to sleep.’

She needn’t have worried; Izzy merely leans over the sleeping child, giving him a gentle kiss. A new Izzy, tender, absorbed. Eve was right, she’s growing up. Paul takes her arm and they say their farewells. Izzy looks pleased when he tells her about the holiday on their way home; Melissa listens to their exchange but doesn’t join in. She is exhausted. Paul seems satisfied with the way things went this evening; she crosses her fingers tightly in the dark.

Sorrel is sucking her thumb. The house is quiet because everyone’s asleep, but the fire is still roaring in her ears. Although she’s pulled the duvet up over her head, flames burn in the darkness, red like the inside of an animal’s mouth.

‘The fire is a beast and needs feeding,’ Izzy had shouted. ‘It’ll get you if you don’t run fast enough.’ She’d told them to run faster and faster; they ran till it was difficult to breathe. The others ran too fast for Sorrel to catch up, her legs were aching. Her skirt came loose, it got tangled round her legs and then she fell over, bang. Her skirt came right off. Izzy stopped and picked up the skirt, she hurled it into the fire as quick as quick, a sacrifice for the beast. He was hungry, Izzy said, her eyes glowing like the fire. Sorrel’s skirt melted in the flames. She began to sob.

‘Fuck off crying,’ Poppy said. Sorrel had never actually heard Poppy say fuck off so loudly before. ‘Fuck off crying.’ Poppy began to shout it out loudly like a kind of chant.

Blake had laughed about the skirt being thrown on the fire, which made her feel worse. He took off his shirt but he tied it round his waist; perhaps he didn’t have many shirts and was scared Izzy would throw it into the fire as well. ‘This is the best party I’ve ever been to,’ he had shouted. ‘Fuck off crying.’

Charley held Sorrel’s hand and ran with her. They were so far away from the adults, no one could hear them screaming fuck off at the top of their voices. It began to have nothing to do with her any more so Charley had joined in and then she did too. It had been sort of exciting and sort of scary.

5. August

Eve