‘I’m sorry.’ Lily looked up at him now they were standing side by side, about to leave her room. ‘For being so unappreciative. I’m just scared. For Alice, for myself.’

‘You don’t have to explain.’ He gestured with his arm for her to leave the room ahead of him. She still felt exposed in the trousers and kept pulling at them, flattening the material, adjusting the belt. She stuffed her hands in her pockets and shook her head. There were more important things to worry about.

Outside of her bedroom, a dark stone staircase wound around in an endless spiral. She leaned forwards but couldn’t spy the bottom. Lily started the descent, each muscle and bone in her legs screaming with the strain of movement after their relentless pummelling the day before. She stopped a few times when the pain was unbearable and glanced behind her at Jem, who just stood there watching, quiet and patient. Something about his stance made her think that he was poised to catch her if she fell. She smirked and rolled her eyes.

When they reached the bottom, she went through a door opposite the staircase, expecting another room or a corridor, but instead found herself outside in a large cobbled courtyard. The morning sunshine had hidden behind heavy, darkening clouds and it had started to rain. Thunder rolled in the distance and the air was charged with energy. Lily didn’t have much time to look around properly, but she did notice a few things that intrigued her. The courtyard was pentagonal, rather than square, with single-story buildings that were all connected by small walkways. All of the rooms had huge, clear windows that sat in the shadow of the vast and hulking lighthouse.

Jem took Lily’s arm gently and guided her to a door directly across the courtyard. As they entered, Jem leading the way, Lily became flushed with self-conscious apprehension. Who was she about to meet? Did she need to earn their respect before they’d help her? What if Jem was actually just a way to gain her trust before they kidnapped her like Alice had been kidnapped? She tried to keep her face neutral and calm but her heart hammered against her ribcage like a hummingbird threatening to break free. She stuffed her hands back in her trouser pockets to hide their shaking.

Jem walked down a corridor and stopped outside a door on the right. He ran a hand through his long, dark hair and Lily could have sworn there was a nervousness there, behind his eyes, that she hadn’t noticed before. ‘Ready?’ he asked, but he pushed open the door before she had a chance to reply.

He stepped over the threshold and immediately melted into his natural habitat. The room was warm and cosy, not bright like her room, but beautiful, shadowy, and comfortable. It was oak-panelled and there was a roaring fire in the grate. There were a few old, tired leather sofas dotted around and books piled everywhere: on shelves, on the mantelpiece, on the mahogany desk that dominated one wall and which was illuminated by the light of one of the huge windows she had seen from outside. After she had taken in the general splendour of this cosy hideaway, she noticed the small figures dotted about the room.