Kat lifts her frayed parka off its hook by the front door and walks out of her flat. She nods at a neighbour she’s never spoken to, a tired-looking woman clutching a sky blue Co-op bag for life in one hand and a small child in the other, then clumps down the stone steps, and out onto the road. It’s milder today, but the sky is already black and there’s drizzle in the air, so she heads for the tube station.

The house looks even bigger up close, Kat thinks as she tries to drum up the courage to walk up the steps and ring the bell. All the houses on this street have an air of ostentation, ornate archways over the front door and fancy shutters in the windows, but Beth’s is double the width of all the others. The front door seems to loom over her while her feet stay welded to the mosaic-tiled pathway. Kat can hear noise inside, a child gabbling. The tale is too fast and high-pitched for Kat to decipher any of its meaning, but the sounds of normal life settle her nerves a notch and she takes three tentative steps upwards.

She wonders if Beth will invite her in, or just hand Luna over at the door. Will they chat for a while? As friends? Or will Beth treat her like staff, reel off a list of instructions and thrust a roll of poo bags in her hand? There’s only one way to find out. She takes a deep breath and presses the doorbell.

A few moments later, the door swings open and Beth is stood there. She’s so close, only inches away, and as her perfume wafts across Kat’s pockmarked skin – a different scent to the one Kat remembers – she starts to feel dizzy. She wonders if she’s going to faint.

‘Oh hi, Kat. Thanks so much for this.’ Beth smiles; it’s warm, and her white teeth gleam in the overhead light. Then her eyes dip down, take in Kat’s ancient coat, thick black cargo pants and dusty Timberland boots, and the smile fades. ‘You know what, let me get Luna for you. You don’t want to be hanging around here.’ She swivels her head, but her body continues to block the doorway. ‘Martha! Can you put Luna in her harness and bring her out here with her lead?’