She stopped abruptly. She looked miserable, utterly hollowed out, like someone had scraped out her heart and made her look at it. She slumped back onto her ankles. Her grip on my neck loosened. She let go of me and dropped her arms to her sides.

‘What?’ I said, my voice high with panic. ‘What will you need to do?’

Her eyes welled up and she stared at the cupboard blankly like she was in a trance.

Heart pounding, I waited a few more seconds then began to push myself to my feet, but her hand whipped out, her fingers curling around my wrist in an iron grip.

She looked up at me, a cold sneer twisting her mouth. She tilted her head to the side. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’

‘No-nowhere.’

‘You haven’t received your punishment yet.’

She yanked me back down to my knees; grabbed my head in one hand, my left shoulder in the other.

In my ear she whispered, ‘If you disobey me again, next time will be even worse.’

Then she forced my head into the cupboard. Around the corner, standing against the far wall of the small space, was Deadly. Nothing else was in there; just the huge spider.

My heart stopped. Fear made me want to recoil, but Mother thrust my face closer and closer until my nose was three inches away from his hideous, black body.

‘Please – Mother, stop!’

I screamed and screamed, but she held me there, saying nothing. I tried again to back out and she held fast, pinning me to the spot. Cold panic spread through my lungs as I stared at Deadly, unable to look away in case he moved. Dread uncurled and attacked as an idea came – she was going to lock me in here, with him.

‘Please. I’m sorry. I’ll never lie to you again. I promise.’

She loosened her grip a touch. Deadly scurried forward, darting towards me at lightning speed. I screamed and tried to jerk away but her grip tightened. He stopped an inch from my nose. This time, I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to tell myself he wasn’t there, but fear made me dizzy. He was there and she was going to lock me in this tiny space in the dark, with him. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks. My breathing came in short bursts. White spots danced behind my eyes.

In a soft voice she said, ‘If you ever speak to Clarabelle again without my permission, I will lock you in here with that spider and turn out the light. Do you understand, Mirabelle?’

‘Yes. Yes, I understand.’

‘Now aren’t you going to thank me for your lesson?’

‘Thank you, Mother.’

She sighed as if a world of stress had been lifted off her shoulders. ‘Good girl.’

Chapter 19