‘I’ve tried to, but she keeps being evasive. Whenever I bring it up with her, trying to find out if she knows what actually happened between them, she just says something non-committal about how flakey teenage girls can be and how they’ll work it out between themselves eventually.’

‘Maybe she’s right. Maybe they will patch it up themselves, in time.’

‘I sense that Irene feels embarrassed by it all. That she doesn’t want Lisa hanging out with Beth after what happened at the school. Has Craig ever mentioned anything to you?’

‘No.’

Mark sometimes had a pint with Craig at the tennis club, and occasionally they paired up for doubles. But Abi knew Mark didn’t trust Craig, that he regarded him as shady. Rumours swirled about Craig’s business dealings, his links to Nicky Kehoe, a major gangland criminal. And while Abi was prepared to turn a blind eye, a lasting distrust lingered between the two men.

‘She must have some friends, surely?’ he asked, a nudge of irritation mixed with worry sounding in his voice.

‘I can’t remember the last time she’s had a friend home. There’ve been no invitations to parties or sleepovers. The other girls go to discos – I read about it on the mums’ WhatsApp group – but Beth doesn’t go. I look at Eva, all the friends she has – she’s hardly ever home—’

‘That’s hardly fair, Abi,’ he said, exasperation leaking into his tone. ‘You can’t expect Beth to behave like Eva – they’re completely different people.’

‘I know that.’

‘You’re always holding Beth to Eva’s standard and I just don’t think that’s right.’

‘No, I don’t,’ she said, affronted, and he seemed to pull back then, softening his tone.

‘Things will change,’ he said. ‘Kids do this – girls especially. One minute you’re out of favour, next minute you’re back in.’

‘It’s been a year, Mark.’

‘Yeah … well.’

‘Sometimes I think we did the wrong thing, leaving her in that school.’

‘It was your idea that she stay there, remember? You were the one who went and sweet-talked Helen Bracken into keeping her.’

She shot him a look. The accusation was there in his tone.

Most of the time Abi could convince herself that what had happened – what Beth had done – was just a blip. It was only when she was confronted with Beth among her peers – or rather not among them, but standing off to one side, head bowed, scanning her phone, while the other girls made jokes among themselves, giggling and fingering each other’s hair and jewellery in the easy tactile way of teenagers – it was only then that Abi heard the alarm ringing inside her head.

She thought about admitting this now to Mark, but at that moment there came a burst of laughter from upstairs and both of them looked up instinctively.