They dressed in lazy, slouchy casual clothes, both in agreement that they weren’t going to the pub this evening. Hannah texted Meredith to ensure that they didn’t get any unexpected interruptions. Conor left her to go downstairs and she picked up her hairbrush to tug it through her damp curls.

She frowned as she looked down at the dressing table. The hairbrush was in the wrong place; it was supposed to be next to her detangle hair spray which was next to her tangle teaser comb and next to which was a pile of scrunchies. Mina teased her about being a fusspot which wasn’t the case at all but Hannah had a system. It was a standing joke that she could get ready in the morning blindfolded because everything was in its place. She looked around the room, her mouth drying. Had her laptop been moved? She couldn’t be sure. Glancing back at the dressing table and her hairbrush, she bit her lip, trying to tell herself she was being paranoid. Goosebumps rose on her forearms. Someone had been in here since they’d left this morning, she was absolutely sure of it.

‘Conor,’ she called as she lightly ran down the stairs.

‘Yes.’

‘Someone’s been here.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Someone’s moved my things around.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes. No, well…’ She couldn’t be one hundred percent sure. This morning she’d been thinking more about spending the day with Conor than anything else. Maybe she had ignored her usual routine.

Conor put down the bottle he’d just opened and strode into the lounge, then he went up to his room before coming down to say. ‘Nothing’s missing and I can’t see anything out of place in my room.’

Hannah felt like an idiot but she couldn’t rid herself of that creepy gut-instinct feeling. Someone had been in her room.

Rather than come back into the kitchen, Conor opened the cottage door and went outside. A moment later he returned, grim-faced.

‘Well, someone’s been back. There are fresh footprints in the flowerbeds. And I…’ he paused, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t lock the cottage door when we left. Force of habit. Normally we leave the doors open during the day.’

Hannah nodded immediately and rather ironically felt reassured. At least she wasn’t imagining things.

‘I’m sorry, Hannah. This shouldn’t have happened. In future, I’ll make sure the door’s locked and if you’re here on your own, you must lock the door behind you. I’ll tell the staff to make sure everyone keeps an eye out for any strangers and I’m going to get Seamus and Peter to do some regular patrols. This isn’t on. We just don’t have that sort of trouble out here normally. I don’t like it all. I’m calling the guard as well.’

‘OK.’