Inside, the house was still dark, but Pip thought it smelled a little less fusty than it had done the previous week. Perhaps Evelyn had prepared a little for her visit. Pip liked this idea because it suggested that Evelyn was as enthusiastic about their meeting as she was and had also been looking forward to it. Maybe she wanted to make a favourable impression on Pip, too. The idea made Pip feel a little bit special, like she mattered to Evelyn, and that gave her a warm feeling in her stomach along with the butterflies.

Evelyn ushered her into the same room as before, though, before Pip could see any other part of the house. There had been slight improvements in there as well. The curtains were already open, and the carpet and upholstery had been hoovered after a fashion, although it hadn’t made a huge impact on the overall feeling of neglect that still hung around the room. Still, Pip thought, it must show something.

Evelyn herself, however, seemed much the same as she had been before. Whilst she was considerably less suspicious than she had been at their first meeting, she was still guarded, and her smiles were cautious and short-lived. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the obvious attempts to clean the house for her visit, Pip might have thought she wasn’t welcome, but she tried not to feel too disheartened by this. Just because Evelyn didn’t share her excitement didn’t mean she wasn’t pleased to see her, and the most important thing was that she had been invited back when there was no real need, the diary having already been returned. Pip would just have to make the most of the visit and ingratiate herself with Evelyn as much as she could so she would come to trust her, over time.

When Pip was settled in the same slightly sticky seat she had taken previously, Evelyn said, ‘Would you like a cup of tea? It was very remiss of me not to offer last time, but you did rather catch me on the hop.’

It was a small step, no more than a gesture really, but Pip was delighted.

‘That would be lovely,’ she said. ‘Thank you. Can I help?’

Evelyn put up a blocking hand, signalling clearly that help would not be required. ‘No, no,’ she said firmly. ‘I may be older than you, but I’m perfectly capable of boiling a kettle and carrying a tray.’

Something in her tone sounded a little offended, but Pip ignored it. An offer of help was just that, and if Evelyn chose to give it more significance then that was her issue. Pip was beginning to wonder if Evelyn wasn’t quite as old as she had looked on her last visit.