‘You all right then, Maggot?’ That was an old nickname, from before. He only ever used it when he wanted to make up for something.

‘Suppose so.’

‘And you’re all right up in the attic?’

‘Yup.’ She made a point of drying the plate she was holding particularly carefully. She wondered if she should ask about the internet again.

‘It’s not too lonely up there?’

‘Nope.’ She turned the plate over, dried the back of it. She could feel him looking at her, considering his next move.

‘Well, OK then.’ He tipped the washing-up bowl into the sink, and they both watched the suds circle and swirl. He might be interested in the marks in the attic, Maude thought. They could go up and take a look together, just the two of them. In the living room they heard Nell switch the TV on, the familiar theme for the news wafting through the open door. The lights over the sink wavered a bit, then settled.

Her dad dried his hands. ‘Shall we go and find something fun to watch?’ he said.

She was supposed to say yes, obviously.

‘If you like.’ She added the plate to the pile. ‘I’ll put these away first.’

She could hear them talking as she returned the plates to the right cupboard. Talking about her, probably, and how unreasonable she was being. She folded the tea towel and hung it carefully where she’d found it, on the handle of the oven door. She didn’t really want to go and join in, she’d rather be on her own; but then again, she didn’t really see why they should get to spend the night together, all cosy, as if everything was all right.

She switched off the lights by the sink and the kitchen suddenly seemed smaller, closer, and the dining table, still illuminated by overhead lights, very far away. Outside, in the street beyond the yard, someone called out to a friend. Maude couldn’t quite hear what they were saying, then someone laughed and their footsteps faded away.

She stretched up and opened the cupboard that held the fuse box. The fuses were all labelled, kitchen, range, dining area, living room, hall. She was tempted for a moment to flip one just to see what would happen. That was a stupid idea. She closed the cupboard door and stood for a while, gazing out of the kitchen window, into the dark.

Chapter 3

3

Nell wasn’t sure what had woken her at first. Not Chris, who lay next to her, curled up on his side, wheezing softly under his breath, and not Maude, who had retreated to her attic at bedtime, with little of the usual fuss. The house was still.

The church bells up on the cliff, she thought, striking the hour. Or the morning light, bleeding in around the edge of the curtains.