‘Anyway, I worked hard at school, got the grades I needed and then left home. It was only when I got to university that I realised how sheltered my life here had been. All at once, I was surrounded by new people and new points of view. Things that I had never even considered suddenly seemed to be hugely important to everyone else. Politics, art, philosophy; there was so much to learn, so much I needed to know. And I needed to do it quickly, before anyone noticed how unsophisticated I was.’

Pip rolled her eyes, mocking herself, but Evelyn just sat still in her chair and didn’t react. It was really disconcerting, this lack of response, but Pip had started now, so she might as well just keep talking.

‘When I got to bar school it was even worse,’ she continued. ‘Most of the other students had been to private school. They had this air about them, this inner confidence. I understand now that it comes from being told you’re the best and can do anything you want from a very young age, but at the time I just thought they were better than me. So that made me even more determined to get myself on a par with them.’

Pip felt her cheeks start to pinken. It sounded so shallow when she said it out loud, but it had been so important to her younger self. Fitting into her surroundings had been vital in order to thrive.

‘At home they’d always called me Pip. I didn’t mind. In fact, I never even thought about it. It was just my name, you know. But in London, where I was surrounded by Louisas and Tamsins, Pip suddenly sounded very childish. Rose is my middle name so about three weeks into the course I decided to switch. It felt more polished, more suited to the person I was trying to be . . .’

Pip paused, and looked towards Evelyn sheepishly. ‘It sounds so silly now,’ she confessed. ‘Superficial and . . . Well, anyway, at the time it felt very important.’

Evelyn’s expression altered minutely, and Pip had the impression that she was with her, that she understood.

‘You were reinventing yourself,’ Evelyn said, and Pip nodded urgently. That was exactly it. Evelyn had hit the nail on the head.

‘Don’t we all do that,’ Evelyn continued, ‘to a greater or lesser extent? Not everyone goes as far as to change their name to shed their old skin, though many do, but trying to become something new is a human affliction.’

Evelyn stroked her hand over the diary as she spoke, as if she were gaining an inner strength from touching it. Perhaps she understood, Pip thought. She had also fled her home to begin something new, but she hadn’t tried to hide where she came from, as far as Pip knew. Evelyn seemed to have an integrity that Pip’s name-changing story showed she lacked.