‘Of course she’s in bed. It’s after midnight. Don’t lie to me, Nora.’

‘What do you mean? I’m not lying.’

‘Yes, you are. This is about Jenna again, isn’t it?’ Not even in the depths of her depression could Nora have imagined that her daughter’s absence would be a convenient excuse for something still worse, but she didn’t correct him. ‘I know it’s hard, love, but we’ve got to get used to it. This is how it has to be from now on – just the two of us. Is that really so bad?’ Suddenly it was all she wanted, but one moment of madness had made it impossible. They had no future now, she knew that, and she couldn’t bear the idea of going back with him, taking the lie into the house and getting into bed next to him. ‘Come on, love – let’s go home. You’ve got a busy day tomorrow.’

He touched her arm and she flinched, trying not to dwell on the hurt in his eyes. ‘I can’t, Tom. I need some time to myself after the day I’ve had. Go home to bed. I won’t be long.’

Nora headed up the path before he could argue, turning back once to see him still standing there in the snow, watching her. She had no idea where she was going. Someone was invariably up late in the staff quarters, and no doubt they’d be talking long into the night about the guests, squabbling over 147who was going to take the German her tea in the morning. She couldn’t risk any of the family rooms in this state, just in case she was seen and forced to explain herself, and it really was too cold to stay outside, even if catching her death, as Tom had put it, felt like the easy way out. In her panic and grief, she knew that she was only a breath away from confessing what she had done and taking the consequences; nothing, surely, could be as bad as this constant fear. She saw Tom’s face again, knowing how ashamed and disappointed he would be, then thought of Jenna and how untouched she would be by her mother’s fate, closeted away with her new beliefs and her new family, hiding behind a different name. In that second, her fear turned to anger again, but the urge to speak was still overwhelming. The only answer lay in the dark silhouette up ahead of her.

She let herself into the castle by the west door, which was further from the bedrooms, and made her way through the downstairs rooms, thankful for her familiarity with the house and the moon for guidance. The church was always left open at Christmas so that the staff could go at any time if their duties prevented them from attending the regular services. Miss St Aubyn was a Christian woman whose faith was important to her, and she encouraged everyone who worked for her to take the Mount’s sacred past as seriously as she did. Nora ventured out onto the terrace, noticing instantly that the storm was more reluctant to admit defeat at this altitude. There was a sound of desperation in the moaning wind as it hurled itself across the terrace, and it seemed to chime with her feelings.