She struggled to admit it, but she was enjoying herself… Even if the tale made her heart ache for Alice, not to mention how difficult it was to behold Jem’s evident anguish. His story was intriguing, but something about that glimpse of emotion made her want to reach out and hold his hand, to reassure him, like he had reassured her, that he was not alone.

Jem reappeared holding two steaming mugs. Lily noticed that his hair must have been bothering him, for he had tied it back into a careless bun at the back of his head, a few strands refusing to conform and falling over his face. The room was filled with a cacophony of calming scents, from the wood-burning of the fire to the sweet, bitterness of the chocolate. Lily felt sure that, had his story not been so interesting, she’d have been long asleep by now.

After he seated himself across from her again, crossing his legs and clutching his hot cocoa, Lily stifled a yawn and encouraged him to go on.

Jem nodded, inhaled, and continued. ‘One night, when Grace had gone out and I was busy preparing dinner, the rain started to pour. It was the worst storm I’d seen since we moved in here. Even though Grace was a strong and competent rower, I always felt anxious at the thought of her out there, alone in the dark, fighting with the high winds and the relentless waves. You yourself have discovered how perilous that can be. I knew she wouldn’t be away too long, so instead of fretting over the stove, I decided to go and watch from the window of the lantern room to see if I could see her. When I looked out, there was the little rowboat, battling through the storm. But then I realised that it wasn’t Grace. It couldn’t be. There were three people in the boat.

‘I panicked. Every single possibility ran through my head, most of them revolving around the awful prospect that Grace had been caught and that these people were coming to get me as well. I ran down the stairs and grabbed a knife and my overcoat, hoping that it might give me a little bit of protection if these men came armed with weapons as well as fury. I stood there, poised and terrified, sword in hand, as the door was flung open and the storm blew in the three figures. They were soaked to the skin and considerably smaller than I was expecting.

‘The tallest one looked up through her rain-drenched hair, took in my terrified battle stance and burst out laughing. It was Grace. I could see that once the cloud of terror had passed, but it still didn’t explain the two small figures she had with her. I think she noticed the stony look on my face, because as her big brother and the only guide she had, she’d seen that face many times, and she stopped laughing.

‘I told her to come in and explain herself. It was then that I realised, as they removed their coats, that Grace had brought with her two children.’ Jem seemed to notice the mix of shocked confusion and strange understanding on Lily’s face.