Cynthia sat down and sighed heavily. ‘James does this all the time. It’s the nature of the game, nightclubs are called nightclubs because they are open at night!’

Celeste smiled then. But she was still guarded, not saying anything that might give the game away. But Cynthia acted as though she didn’t care about any of that and was once more the solicitous sister.

‘Shall I make you a bit of toast? You need to eat, love.’

Celeste shook her head. ‘I couldn’t, Cynth, thanks.’

‘How about a biscuit? You always had a sweet tooth.’

Celeste stood up abruptly. ‘Did you hear that?’

‘What?’ Her sister’s panic was spreading to her now.

‘That noise, there’s someone outside.’

‘You stay here, Celeste, and don’t move.’

Cynthia walked silently from the big kitchen and checked all the downstairs rooms. As she looked out of the front-room window, she saw a large man walking towards the front door. Running back to the kitchen, she said to her sister in a whisper, ‘Get down to the cellar. Don’t argue, just go.’

‘What’s going on, Cynth?’

After dragging her sister none too gently, Cynthia pushed her into the back kitchen and, opening the cellar door, forced her inside. Following her, she bolted the door and groped around in the gloom till they reached the bottom of the steps, where they crouched as quietly as they could. It was almost pitch black, the only light coming from under the door above them.

‘Is there a torch anywhere in here?’ Celeste was clearly terrified now. Shaking her gently, Cynthia whispered, ‘For fuck’s sake, Celeste, is there a torch in here?’

Celeste walked unsteadily to a row of shelves and took down a small hand torch. Giving it to her sister, she waited like a young child to be told what to do next.

Turning on the torch, Cynthia looked around the unfamiliar space and, seeing a door that was obviously once the coal hole, she went towards it and made sure it was secure.

By now they could hear people walking around above them. It wasn’t Jonny that was for sure – they could hear the doors being wrenched open upstairs, and they both realised that whoever it was wasn’t visiting for any kind of social reason.

‘What’s going on, Cynth?’

Celeste’s voice was rising and Cynthia went to her and said quietly but forcefully, ‘Shut up, Celeste. Whoever it is mustn’t know we are here, OK?’ But even in the weak torch light Cynthia could see the hysteria rising in her sister’s eyes and marvelled once more at how such a fucking coward could ever be enough for Jonny. She hugged her to her tightly saying in a soothing voice, ‘Calm down, Celeste, we’ll sort this out. Now, has Jonny any weapons hidden down here?’

Celeste was shaking so badly she could barely talk. ‘I . . . I don’t know . . . Probably . . .’