I don’t know why I bent the truth. Why I didn’t tell her how much Eleanor had hurt me or how she’d behaved or why I told her Eleanor had said thank you and asked me to stay the night. All I know is the thought of not going back to the house stripped my insides out like acid.

Mum chewed on her lower lip and looked out of the tiny window. Then she shook her head as if she had nothing else to lose. ‘I overheard her accusing him of things.’

‘What things?’

Mum looked at me straight in the eye.

‘Mum. What things?’

‘To do with you.’

My brain swirled.

‘Me? What do you mean me? Mum, you’re not making any sense.’

My mother appeared to break in half. Her shoulders stooped and her face drained of colour. ‘She thinks you and Max are…’ She hesitated again and I bit my tongue to stop myself shouting. ‘That you’re together.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘She accused him of having an affair – a relationship – with you,’ she said, and looked at her hands.

An icy current shivered through me. I shook my head. Forced a laugh through my shock. ‘What? No. No! Of course we’re not. I mean… that’s crazy. I… I…’ Panic seized me by the throat so I couldn’t breathe. The idea that Eleanor suspected I was doing that with Max and banning me from the house because of it was paralysing. ‘I need to go and tell her she’s made a mistake. That it’s not true!’

Mum’s eyes widened. ‘No. You aren’t to go there. Do you hear me? The woman isn’t stable. Please, Tam. I mean it. She’s not right in the head. You should have seen how she was screeching. She even smashed up one of her own paintings. Things aren’t right between them and they need to be left alone to sort it out. Don’t go back. Okay? You don’t want to cause any problems.’ She sighed and rubbed her face. ‘God,’ she muttered. ‘They owe me nearly a month’s money.’

My head roiled and I felt as if I might be sick. I tried to stand, but when I did my knees gave way and Mum moved to catch me. As she did she gasped.

‘Sweetheart, you’re so hot!’ She laid the back of her hand on my forehead. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?’

But I couldn’t speak. My mind was racing. I was weak with worry as I tried to work out why Eleanor would say and think those things.

‘You need some Dispirin,’ Mum said.

She placed the envelope on the table beside my bed and then left me alone.