Mum holds out a hand for Prin and really Prin is far too big now for handholding, but Mum has a funny look on her face, tight and strained, and so she lets herself slip her hand into Mum’s.

There’s a little paved path to walk up to the house. Prin notices that some of the flagstones are cracked. Daddy knocks on the door and a woman opens it. She has a badge on a sort of ribbon around her neck.

‘Fiona,’ she says, which Prin realizes is her way of introducing herself, and she holds out a hand to Prin’s mum and daddy. Daddy shakes her hand and says, in a very jolly voice, ‘Brian,’ and then pointing to Mum: ‘Susan.’

Prin looks up at the grown-ups. ‘And I’m Prin,’ she says.

Mum smiles and puts her free hand on top of Prin’s head, her signal that Prin has said something silly. ‘Well, that isn’t really …’

Mum trails off. Daddy is still just standing there, grinning.

The woman with the badge hanging from her neck smiles and nods and tells them all to come inside. Prin pulls her fingers out of Mum’s as they step in through the door. It was only Mum, really, who wanted to hold hands.

Inside the house there’s a shiny white kitchen with two people – grown-ups – sitting at what is called a breakfast bar. Prin remembers right then that Daddy said they would all go and get ice cream after this. Prin feels much better, remembering how he promised. She really, really, really likes ice cream.

Prin doesn’t know who these other grown-ups are, but they look nice enough. Fiona introduces them as Simon and Leanne. Now there are five grown-ups and only one of Prin, but through a big square archway into another room, she sees another girl. She is kneeling on the floor, playing with some kind of plastic model castle, pink and purple.

Her cousin. She is a lot smaller than Prin expected. The sitting room is white as well, with beige furniture in it. The girl looks quite babyish really. Prin reminds herself again about the ice cream that’s coming later.

Now Fiona is leaning down. ‘Would you like to go and play?’ she says to Prin. ‘Leanne and Simon have some lovely toys. There are some important bits – forms and so on – that I have to go through with your mummy and daddy, but you two could play in here while we get that done?’

Prin likes the look of the pink and purple castle. She supposes she wouldn’t mind playing with that.