She placed a hand against the door, listening as the house seemed to shift and settle around her, then switched off the hall light, gasping softly again at the static shock.

She was halfway up the stairs, her shoes dangling from one hand, when the front door rattled again. A little louder this time, a little more insistent.

She paused and looked back into the darkened hall, just to make sure. The house was empty; they were quite alone.

*

She didn’t sleep well. After a restless few hours she woke around seven, went downstairs, made a cup of tea and took it into the living room. She sat in the big chair by the window, gazing out at Spinnaker Cottage, cradling her cup, thinking.

Chris wasn’t bothered by the house, and as far as she could tell, neither was Maude. But she didn’t think it was her imagination – or her hormones – making her oversensitive to smells, to the atmosphere of the place. Cheryl had thought there was something odd about Elder House; she had the feeling Gina didn’t much like the place either.

Her pregnancy testing kit was still missing, although she supposed that there was a chance it might – like her mobile phone – be returned.

Because that was Maude, surely.

Oh, God. Maude. The test was one thing, but if she was pregnant, what then? She felt the tears rise – how on earth would she cope if Maude carried on like this, sullen, unreliable, untrustworthy. What would they do if she continued to push them away, if the petty acts of spite began to escalate?

She pulled up her sleeve and inspected her arm, the scratch had faded, but she could still feel the sudden shock of falling, of slamming into the table.

How would she keep her baby safe?

Her head ached from lack of sleep, her limbs felt heavy, and all she had to look forward to was a day spent pretending everything was fine.

She was just considering getting up properly, getting dressed, or at least making another cup of tea when the door to Spinnaker Cottage opened and Evie came out, Flossie circling her excitedly.

She looked worried, pinched and pale. Poor kid. She clipped on the dog’s lead then looked expectantly down the yard.

A moment later, Kym appeared, and Evie ran down the steps to meet her. Nell hadn’t realised the two were friends. They made an unlikely pair, Evie so proper and correct, and Kym all attitude and eyeliner.

She would get dressed, borrow Maude’s phone and maybe catch Chris before he set off for the gallery.

*

‘Did you look it up, then? The house?’ said Evie as they walked quickly down the yard in an unspoken effort to avoid Carolyn.

‘Yeah,’ said Kym.