‘Think of it as setting an intention. Putting your house in order. If you get her to help, do it together, then maybe Maude will feel – I don’t know – included? If she’s feeling the need to protect herself, then maybe she needs to talk about – well, whatever it is that’s bothering her. Putting the shoe back might give you both a place to start.’

The trouble was, Nell thought, that once they made a start, who knew where that might lead.

‘Maybe,’ she said. ‘When she’s feeling better.’

*

‘I can’t stop.’ Evie hovered around the kitchen door, barely able to step over the threshold; she couldn’t help glancing behind, towards the path and Spinnaker Cottage.

‘I don’t think she’s actually going to follow you up here and drag you away,’ said Kym, who seemed to think it was all a joke.

‘You have no idea,’ said Evie.

‘Are you going to come in?’

‘I can’t – I . . . Where’s Maude? Is she OK?’

‘She’s fine.’ Kym reached out, squeezed her arm. ‘She’s upstairs, sleeping, and you need to stop giving yourself such a hard time.’

Evie allowed herself to be pulled into the kitchen.

‘How did it go, then?’ Kym said, leaning against the sink, ‘’cause you look like shit.’

‘Shut up.’

‘Honestly, you do. You should think about leaving the books alone for a bit.’

‘Like that’s going to happen any time soon.’

‘Did she tell you? Nell?’

‘About?’

‘About last night. Before Maude cut her foot. It happened again, weird noises; only this time they were inside.’

‘Right.’ Evie dropped her school bag on the floor, looking around the empty kitchen. ‘Where inside?’ she asked.

‘Her parents’ room, then along the landing,’ said Kym. ‘But the interesting thing is, she reckons she’s heard it before.’

‘When you were babysitting.’

‘No. Just like, in everyday life. She thinks she might have been hearing it, but thinking it was Nell or her dad.’

‘Oh.’

‘What if they’ve been hearing it all along, only they didn’t realise? And now it’s getting worse.’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t know, because the house is occupied again? And it’s waking up?’ said Kym, and it occurred to Evie that she too seemed energised by this latest development.

‘God, that’s creepy.’

‘Yeah.’ Kym turned and stared out at the drying ground. ‘So I was wondering, say it is – waking up. Then maybe it’s happened before? So now and a couple of years back when they decided to do it up and—’

‘And before that, when your dad was working here?’

‘Yeah. As if it needs people to – recharge.’

Evie moved beside her and they stood in silence for a moment, looking out of the window, at the drying ground. ‘Well, it’s a theory,’ she said. ‘The trouble is, that’s all you’ve got.’

‘Excuse me.’ Kym nudged her gently. ‘It’s all we’ve got.’