‘You didn’t have a last name in the home?’

‘No, only first names. Ms O’Brien said she picked them out of a book.’

‘Did she tell you anything about your biological parents?’

Charlotte shook her head, one corner of her mouth pulling down in regret. ‘She said that our mothers died when we were born and no one knew who our fathers were, so she would look after us until we were adopted.’

‘How many other girls were adopted when you were there? Did new girls arrive often?’

‘I’ve tried to count back but I can’t remember everyone’s name. There were a lot of us.’

‘Who can you recall?’

‘Before it was just me and Amelia there was Tilda …’

‘Matilda?’

‘Uh-huh. And then Sam, Daisy and Maree, who all got adopted at about the same time … and before that Tanya and Maggie, and before them … well, at least two more, but I don’t remember their names.’

‘Would Amelia remember?’

‘She won’t say.’

‘Why is that?’

‘She won’t talk about anything to do with the home. I don’t know why—it wasn’t such a bad place.’

‘What did you do with your time there?’

‘The same thing every day. Lessons and chores.’

‘And were you ever mistreated?’

‘On Sundays we had to sit and listen to Ms O’Brien read passages from the Bible about how we’re all sinners and when we die we’re going to hell unless we repent, and blah blah blah. But otherwise it was fine.’

‘Nothing that you would describe as abuse?’

Jake leant forward in his padded chair to watch Charlotte’s face for any tell-tale flickers of emotion.

‘I mean, if some of my little cousins had to live there they’d scream the place down because we didn’t have a TV or a computer or smartphones.’

‘But what about neglect? You mentioned being cold. Were you properly fed and clothed?’

‘It was pretty cold inside the cottage most of the time —which means I’m a bit obsessive about having the fireplace going all winter long—but Mum and Dad don’t mind.’

Jake’s frustration with this line of questioning began to mount. Time to push harder.

‘Charlotte, it’s unclear to me why you had such a good relationship with Ms O’Brien but Amelia didn’t. Can you be clearer about when Amelia began to withdraw while you lived at the home?’

‘It was like one day she just decided to go to her room and not come out.’

‘Can you tell me when that happened?’

‘Just before my ninth birthday.’

‘And Amelia is four years older than you?’

‘That’s what Ms O’Brien said. Although, to be honest, I think it’s a bit suss that we all had birthdays about a week apart. I think she just made them up so they were easier to remember.’

‘So Amelia suddenly changed her behaviour at about twelve?’ Did anything happen in your life that was different around that time? New people coming into the home?’

‘No, there was no one new around. Just the same summer routine as usual: Ms O’Brien taking her holiday, then we had our birthday parties.’