He leaps up, crosses to the hatch and, seizing the large metal ring in his hands, heaves it up from the roof, hoping that this time the wind will allow him time to act. Moving back to Cara, determined, he bends so that he can pull her up, gripping her under the arms. He lifts her till she is upright and then ducks down to allow her to fall across his shoulders. As he straightens, he is aware that she is light, very light, and it is not difficult to secure her in a fireman’s lift, with her body secure around his neck and his arm locking her legs. Moving swiftly now, scared that the wind might once again catch the hatch door, he approaches the ladder and swings himself over on to the top rungs. The first few steps will be the most difficult. A moment to adjust his burden and then he is climbing down, hands on the rungs, relying on his balance to hold her in place. He is utterly relieved when his head drops below the entrance, out of the wind, but it is still not easy to make progress. Halfway down the ladder he has to pause, terrified that he might let her slip. But he adjusts her weight across his back and finishes the climb, gasping with the fear. He doesn’t pause to savour his relief but rolls her off his shoulders and gathers her in his arms. Leaving the loft room to the elements, he carries her out on to the landing, shouting for Fliss and Hal at the top of his voice. As he begins the descent of the stairs he can hear the commotion below and shouts again. And here they are, hurrying up the stairs to meet him. They take charge, assisting him down to the ground floor, helping him to lay his burden on the sofa. Fliss is pulling Cara’s shoes off and is removing the sodden fleece from her arms when Sam sees Cara stir, her eyes flickering open.

‘Sam?’ she asks. ‘Where’s Sam?’

‘He’s here,’ says Fliss, ‘he’s fine,’ although the look she gives Sam tells him that he is anything but fine; that he’s in a lot of trouble. Far above them there is a boom that echoes down through the hall, and Sam knows that the wind has once again slammed the hatch closed. He flinches at the sound, unable to meet Hal’s eyes.

Cara twists, dropping her feet to the floor, and pushes herself up into a sitting position, wedged in the corner of the sofa. She is attempting to summon her defences and barriers, trying to regain control. Fliss takes the rug that’s draped along the back of the sofa and, sitting down beside her, wraps it around Cara’s shoulders.

‘How are you feeling, Cara?’ she asks gently, ‘Are you hurt?’