‘I’m not.’ She stood up and put her hand on his forearm. ‘I know you would never hurt her. I felt the same when the doctor was asking me. Like she was accusing me.’

‘It’s her job to look out for this stuff.’

‘I know. But it did make me wonder. The bruise came from somewhere, and if it isn’t you or me, then who?’

Tom leaned against the kitchen counter. ‘Not my mum. She would have said.’

‘No. Not her.’

He took a deep breath. ‘Martha?’

‘It could be. I mean, I’m sure it’s totally innocent. I’m sure there’s an explanation, but—’

‘We don’t know anything happened yet. Let’s not jump to conclusions.’

‘We know something happened. There’s a bruise. On both sides of her arm.’

‘I need to take a look.’

‘Let her sleep. You can look later. But trust me. It’s not nothing.’

‘Then what do we do?’ Tom said. ‘I don’t want to leave her with Martha if there’s any risk of something happening to her.’

‘Could you ask your mum?’

‘Not tomorrow. She’s taking Dad to the hospital for his chemo.’ He sat on the couch. ‘You think there’s any risk leaving her?’

Alice shook her head. ‘I’m sure she’ll be fine. If it was Martha there’ll be a simple explanation.’

‘You want me to talk to her tomorrow morning?’

‘I think so. I have to leave early. She’ll be here at 7.30.’

‘OK,’ Tom said. ‘It could have been from anything. I can’t believe Martha had anything to do with it. She would have said.’ He paused. ‘Maybe we’re being overprotective. Everyone’s still on edge after eighteen months of mask wearing and hand washing.’

‘It’s times like these I miss my parents,’ Alice said. ‘It’d be so much easier if we had them around to help.’

‘I know,’ Tom said.

‘I mean, they never even met Jo,’ Alice said, her eyes welling up.

They never even met me, Tom thought. But I don’t suppose the grief ever leaves you, however long ago something like that happened.

‘I miss them,’ she said. ‘I really miss them.’

‘I know,’ he said. He hugged her close. ‘But it’s going to be OK. Really, it is.’

Ambleside, July 2013

Alice

Alice laughed as Hendrik – a tall, Dutch student from Rotterdam – finished his story about a hapless hiking trip he and his friend, Donny had taken that day. It had been a mess from start to finish; they’d brought the wrong map, forgotten to pack rain clothes, got lost in a sudden fog, and then ended up miles from where they expected to be, and had to hitch-hike back to Ambleside, to the relative comforts of the youth hostel, where Alice – and Ned, her boyfriend – had met them.