I nodded and dashed to the front door, hesitating. We had no supplies – I hadn’t been able to find the holdall I needed to stash my collection of tins in. How far was it to the nearest house? I didn’t know.

I grabbed Emma’s hand and pulled her after me back upstairs.

‘Go to the toilet then drink as much water as you can,’ I said. She followed my instructions and I went into her room to find her slippers or, if possible, any outdoor shoes Mother may have bought her.

In the spare room, I saw how Mother had escaped. She had hacked through the sewn-up middle of the curtains – with what I couldn’t be sure, but possibly the kitchen knife – then smashed the glass – so she hadn’t nailed boards over Clarabelle’s window – and jumped out. The drop was big; she had been extremely lucky not to break any bones.

In the wardrobe, I found a pair of black plimsolls which I slid onto Emma’s feet. I pulled a blue doll dress on over her nightgown, hoping the two garments together would be enough to keep her warm.

Emma stayed as quiet as a mouse, watching me with her huge, bleary eyes while I emptied my bladder then drank as much water from the tap as I could. We had to stay hydrated. If necessary, we could go without food for a while, but water was essential. I looked down at my slippers – they would have to do. At least they had hard soles. Mother’s feet were bigger than mine, so wearing her shoes would only slow us down, and we had to move as fast as possible for Patrick’s sake.

We ran downstairs and I tried a couple of keys before finding the right one. With a deep, shaky breath, I slotted the key into the keyhole and unlocked the front door.

Chapter 26

Outside. I was outside, in the other world. I was outside for the first time in ten years. I thought my cheeks would break I was smiling so hard. Greens and browns and blues and light – so much light. Natural light that was warm yet fresh, so fresh it made the fine hairs on my body tingle. I shivered with pleasure, wincing against the sun, though it remained hidden behind a white frosting of cloud.