“I’m not going to let it go. I won’t let anything go until you agree to let her go outside. I won’t ever—”

There was the hard crack of a slap, skin on skin, then another.

He’s hitting her. Ruby froze.

A thudding sound, a person collapsing to the floor. Then silence. At once Ruby wanted to storm into the room and shout at him to stop, but at the same time she was fixed to the spot, praying the door to the living space would remain almost shut, that Gregor wouldn’t come out now and find her, listening; that he wouldn’t do to her what he was doing to Constance.

“She should be in fucking bed. Why is she still up? It’s your fault she saw that. If you’d put her to bed, then she wouldn’t have had to be here. You’re a terrible mother. You made me do that, and you made her watch. You’re sick. Maybe I should let the police know you’re here—then I’d be rid of you. I’m sure they’d love to hear all about your weirdo relatives as well. How about it? They’d break that oddball cult up quick as you like, and prosecute half of them for all kinds of crimes. The child protection people would be over there like a shot. One phone call, that’s all it would take.”

A mumble that she couldn’t hear.

“Oh, you want to stay, do you? Well, I’ll think about it.”

Ruby heard Leonie hiccup. She could imagine the anguish on her small face, the silent cry. So, this was the truth of the man. Why hadn’t she seen it? Ruby’s body trembled with the shock of it, and her cheeks burned with humiliation at how she’d been fooled.

“Shh.” Constance’s voice.

Ruby’s hands formed fists.

Gregor sighed with irritation. “She’ll never sleep now. I’ll give her some tonic.”

“No, Gregor, it’s not for children.”

“Oh, it’s fine, I’ll give her a little bit less than what you have.”

“Really, I don’t think you should—”

“Would you shut up with your fucking whingeing?”

Another slap.

“See what you made me do? When are you going to learn to go along with things? You always have to argue.” Ruby heard him go through to the bathroom, the cabinet opening and shutting. When he returned, his voice had changed, softened slightly. “Here, baby, open wide, medicine for you.”

“Please …”

“Well, hold her fucking head, would you? Hold her mouth open. Come on.”

There was a gurgling sound, and Leonie started to cough and splutter. Ruby needed to go in there, right now. But the fear gripped her, rooted her, even as the shame of doing nothing crept into her stomach.

“That was too much, Gregor. You said—”