He sidled into the room as silently as a cat, but then stopped dead at the sight that met his eyes. Ruby was wrapped in the arms of a man and they were kissing passionately, oblivious to anything but each other. They were half-sitting, half-lying on a sofa that was set at a slant to the door and meant they had their backs to him, but it would only take one of them glancing round to see him.

Daniel had been used to thinking on his feet all his life. A small bookcase stood to the left of the door against the wall and it had a pair of brass bookends in the shape of owls holding a row of books on the top of it. He grabbed one, the books falling, but in the same breath he brought the brass bookend slamming down on the top of Edward’s head as he sprang to the sofa. The force of the blow was enough to send Edward slumping onto the floor, but as Ruby began to scream he thrust the knife in front of her face.

‘Shut up, shut up now or I’ll slit your throat and I’ll do the same to him.’

She backed away from him, her hand to her mouth to prevent another scream but her horrified eyes flickering from him to Edward.

Daniel kicked at the prone figure on the floor, and as Edward made a sound in his throat, he said, ‘He’s not dead, not yet, but he will be if you don’t do exactly as I say, you hear me? Do you hear me?’

She nodded, watching as he pulled some thick hemp twine out of his pocket, the sort that fishermen used to mend their nets.

‘You’re goin’ to tie lover boy up real tight and no messing or I’ll gut him where he lies. I was goin’ to use this on you but it might be fun for him to watch if he comes round, don’t you think?’

‘You’re mad,’ she whispered.

‘Aye, you’re right there, mad enough to do what I say if you don’t do exactly what you’re told.’

He had been drinking, she could smell it, and as she stared into his face she believed him.

‘I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, Ruby,’ he said almost conversationally. ‘Aye, a long time. Right from the minute we met, in fact. Remember that? With sweet little Ellie? There was I, all prepared to be nice, and you looked at me like I was scum. I knew then I’d see my day with you, but after this –’ he touched the eye patch – ‘it was all I lived for.’

He held out the twine. ‘Tie him up.’