Their eyes met. Then she nodded, pulled open the door onto the brightly lit corridor, and they went through.

CHAPTER

31

THEN

Ruby

December

“HURRY UP,” SAID Constance. “He might come back.”

“Just a few more seconds,” said Ruby, “I’ve nearly got it. There.”

The lock on the bedroom door finally turned. She left the hairpin where it was—sticking out of the keyhole—knowing she would have to perform the tricky operation of picking it the opposite way if she was going to avoid Gregor finding out what she’d been up to. She straightened up, took a deep breath. Then, she turned the handle and pushed.

Inside the bedroom it was dark. Ruby started to reach for the light switch, but Constance grabbed her arm. “He’ll probably have a tripwire or something. There’ll be a booby trap.”

Ruby didn’t think so. Gregor can’t have known about her lock-picking skills, which she’d learned one long summer from YouTube videos, quietly practicing until she was able to open an old cupboard at her music school, to which the key had been lost. There was a rumor that inside was a treasure trove of baroque instruments, but when she finally got inside, it was empty apart from a dusty Hoover from the 1950s. It had been a fun challenge, though, and a useful skill to have.

In the days since Ruby had witnessed Gregor’s violent, bullying nature, she and Constance had been biding their time. When he was there—and even when he wasn’t—they made a show of maintaining their expected roles. Ruby was still the “babysitter,” looking after Leonie and helping Constance cope, making sure she took her medicine whenever Gregor hinted or texted that she needed it. In actual fact, Ruby was making sure she didn’t take that stuff, tipping it one spoonful at a time down the sink. Constance pretended to be sleepy and vacant, when in truth, she was getting stronger and more focused every day. She still longed for home, though, and Ruby would catch her gazing wistfully at the seascape pictures, lost in thought.

Ruby played her violin for them often, and they sang shanties, sea songs, and lullabies from the old skerry, as Constance called her home. Gregor listened, his eyes gleaming. He loved the sound of the two of them as much as they loved it themselves, but when the songs were over, the women were careful to hide their affection. They made up complaints about each other to tell Gregor when the other wasn’t in the room so he didn’t think they were too close. Constance said Ruby was a bossy, nosy little busybody. Ruby complained that Constance was bad-tempered and uncommunicative. So far, the plan was working. Maybe a little too well.

On his way out that evening, he’d pulled Ruby aside.