‘You won’t go to the party,’ said Chris, not missing a beat. ‘Not unless you say you’re sorry.’

‘Fine,’ Maude slumped back onto the bed. ‘I didn’t want to go anyway.’

Nell didn’t want to leave, Maude was clearly upset, and the last thing they all needed was for a stupid error of judgement on her part to continue escalating. But Chris had his don’t-mess-with-me face on, and a united front, that was the rule when dealing with Maude.

She followed her husband down the ladder; she could barely look the poor kid in the eye.

*

Chris led the way back into the living room, the TV still paused on the film he and Maude had been watching. He sank into the sofa wearily. ‘Shit,’ he said, then he looked up at Nell, ‘you could have asked her first,’ he said. ‘You could have been a bit more subtle.’

‘I just meant to take a quick look. I didn’t think it would be – such a big deal,’ said Nell.

‘You know what she’s like. Any excuse to kick off these days.’

‘Yes, well. It’s done now.’ She looked around the room, it was gloomy, even with the TV on; chilly too now the sun had gone down. They should definitely light the log burner, try to make the place a little more inviting. ‘You don’t think,’ she said, ‘we were a bit over the top with the whole grounding thing?’

‘We? Me, you mean?’

‘She was angry. She didn’t mean it.’

‘That’s no excuse.’

If she’d lit the fire earlier, then they’d be settled in front of it now, cosy, a family watching the stupid film together, laughing at it.

‘She can’t be allowed to speak to you like that, no matter how angry she is,’ said Chris.

‘I suppose so.’

He looked weary, disappointed. ‘But, to be honest, if you’d just thought a bit about how to handle her, then . . .’ He let his voice trail away.

‘So it’s my fault, then?’ Nell said, flatly.

Chris picked up the TV remote. ‘I’m just saying if you could be a bit more careful around her, then that might help.’ The film leapt back into life and Nell was left with the sensation that out of the three of them, she was most at fault, lacking some vital sort of instinct.

Not a real mum, at all.

*

Maude cried for a bit. Hot angry tears. It was so unfair, all of it, but especially the way her dad always took Nell’s side. She curled up on her bunk and cried until her nose ran and her head ached. It wasn’t as if she’d even touched Nell’s bloody phone. She wished she had.