The shoe lay on the trunk where she had left it and Maude picked it up – she hadn’t decided what she would wish for yet. She wasn’t sure how you were supposed to go about striking a bargain, but she was going to, she was definitely going to. She held it close, clutching the shoe against her chest and shutting her eyes, and maybe it was because she’d been staring so hard at the marks on the beam, but it seemed to her for a moment that she could still see them, tiny daisy wheels floating behind her eyelids.

*

‘Maude?’ Nell stood on the landing and waited, but there was no reply. Sulking, no doubt. Or maybe that wasn’t fair; perhaps she simply hadn’t heard.

Nell considered climbing the ladder. But then, if she did, there was every chance Maude would send her away, scornful of her attention.

God, Nell. I’m fine. Her moods were exhausting.

She gave her a moment or two to reconsider, to stick her head through the hatch.

But there was no reply.

The bubbles had subsided into a pale green scum, and the water was cold. Nell emptied the bath and rinsed it out. Then she went into the bedroom to get dry, get dressed.

*

‘Hello.’ Evie answered the door, stepping back and calling over her shoulder, ‘Mum, Mrs Galilee and Maude are here.’

Carolyn’s reply was muffled and masked by a single deep bark as the dog, Flossie, appeared from the back of the house.

‘It’s OK,’ Evie said to Maude, ‘she’s not going to make a fuss or anything.’ She opened the door wider. ‘Come in.’

Maude smiled, but she didn’t look convinced, standing back to let Nell go first.

‘Thanks,’ Nell said. ‘And I’m not Mrs Galilee; Nell is fine.’

‘Hello.’ Carolyn appeared in the doorway, looking a little flushed and out of breath. She had changed out of her usual jeans into a linen frock and was wearing a pair of silver and turquoise earrings that Nell recognised as her own design. She should, she supposed, be flattered.

‘Hi.’ She held out the bottle of wine she’d been debating over for a good half hour, wondering if it might be too much for a simple supper.

‘Oh, you didn’t need to do that, thank you. Come in, come in.’ Carolyn put the wine on the kitchen table, then led the way into the living room. ‘Ollie, Nell and Maude are here.’

‘Oh, hi.’ Ollie struggled out of the sofa, as the cricket played on the TV in the background. ‘Is it that time already? And this is Maude, is it? Hello, nice to meet you.’

‘Hi.’

The room was cluttered, with tall bookshelves covering one wall, photos and pictures ranging across the others.

‘Have a seat,’ said Oliver, reaching for the TV remote.

‘There’s no need to turn that off on our account,’ Nell said.