I grin at her. ‘You just want to see Peg again!’

‘He is amazing,’ she says. ‘But also, I figured . . . maybe it’s a bit lonely sometimes at yours. I know it’s lonely at mine when Mum’s at work.’

‘Doesn’t anyone stay with you?’ I ask.

‘My aunt comes and stays if Mum’s working nights, but late shifts mean she’s home by nine, so I sort myself out.’

‘What about . . . Do you see your dad much?’

‘Not so much,’ she says, marching on through all the kids, dragging me with her. ‘Anyway. Tea tonight? We need to work out a plan, anyway, right?’

‘Definitely! But . . . Zara.’

She turns back to me.

‘You can talk to me, if you want to . . . about things. You know that?’

‘I know,’ she says with a wobbly sort of smile. She takes a breath. ‘It’s complicated.’

I nod. ‘But when you’re ready.’

‘When I’m ready, you’ll be the first to know,’ she says. ‘Come on. We’ll be late.’

I pull her close as we walk, just so she knows she isn’t alone. Even if sometimes she feels that way.

‘All right?’ asks Zara, frowning as I fumble with the charms at the gate.

My head started buzzing on the way home, and my vision is full of sparking lines.

‘Yeah. I don’t know. Got a bit of a funny head.’

‘It’s been a full-on couple of days,’ she says.

‘I guess.’

I get the charms out of the way, and then replace them over the wood as we close the gate behind us, muttering a few words. It makes my head throb.

‘Come on,’ says Zara. ‘Let’s get you inside.’

She takes the key from my hand, letting us both into the warm kitchen, where Nan and Peg are already entertaining. Yanny looks up from an enormous cheese sandwich with a grin that doesn’t quite meet his eyes.

‘Hey.’ He waves.

‘Stella?’ Nan knows straight away there’s something amiss. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Just a headache,’ I say.

It’s already easing, I realize, as I drop my bag and throw off my coat. Zara takes it from me and hangs it with hers on the pegs by the door, and Peg puts the kettle on.

‘How was school?’ Yanny asks around a mouthful of sandwich.

‘Oh, OK,’ I say, dropping into a chair. ‘I thought you were under house arrest.’

‘Well . . . no. A bit. I said I was coming here. They weren’t exactly thrilled about it, but I think they knew they weren’t going to stop me.’

‘You can help us with our studies,’ says Zara.

Yanny looks curious, and I stare at Zara, hoping she’s not going to say much more in front of Nan.

‘Do you have homework?’ Nan asks. ‘I have heard of that.’ She looks very proud of the fact, sitting by the fire with Teacake on the arm of her chair.