‘You all right, Milly?’ Sara advanced into the room, concerned that Amelia was upset, but she turned round with a big grin on her face.

‘’Course I am. We were just watching these funny videos and it made me laugh so much I was crying. Didn’t you hear us? Soph told me off for being too loud in case I woke Ezra.’

Sara studied her face, knew there was more to it. She sat on Amelia’s bed, next to the pile of clothes. ‘I just wanted to thank you both for all the extra jobs you’ve being doing round the house since I’ve been working more. It’s been a big help.’

The girls shared a look. Sophia leant against her bed. Amelia went to sit next to her. ‘That’s okay,’ Amelia said with a sniff, bowing her head as she swiped her hands across her face. Sara wasn’t buying the crying-with-laughter story. She knew her daughter, and Amelia was definitely upset.

‘Look, you two. I know there’s something going on. And I just wish…’ She stopped herself, the tone all wrong. Tried again, her voice softer, the accusation gone. ‘I want you to know that I’m here for you both. If you’ve got a problem…’ she gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile, ‘well, I can help you.’

The girls stared at her, nodded in unison, their faces blank. She waited. The silence filled her ears, tension crackling through the air like static.

‘I heard you say to Auntie Hailey that you’d been having a chat. It’s nice that you can do that, isn’t it?’

The girls nodded again.

‘But I’d really like it if you’d chat to me too.’ Emotion swelled in Sara’s chest, her voice cracking. ‘I just feel that recently I’ve been closed out of your lives, and I… well, I miss you.’

The girls looked uneasy now, shuffling closer together on the bed, Amelia’s arm snaking round Sophia’s waist. Solidarity.

‘You don’t have time to chat, Mum. That’s the problem,’ Sophia said eventually. ‘Auntie Hailey is used to talking to people our age. She knows what goes on.’

Sara frowned, hurt stabbing at her heart, making her voice waver. ‘We live together, I’ve known you all your lives. I’m used to talking to kids your age too, aren’t I?’

The girls glanced at each other.

‘And what does go on?’

‘It’s nothing,’ Amelia said, sounding a bit annoyed. ‘Just some lad playing jokes, that’s all. Auntie Hailey knows him – he’s one of the lads she looks after in her job – so that’s why it was good to talk to her. You wouldn’t…’

Sara swallowed her frustration, her voice shaking. ‘I wouldn’t what?’

Amelia looked away, picked at her peeling nail varnish. ‘Nothing.’

‘But it is something, isn’t it?’