‘The thing is,’ Nell said, her heart thudding, just do it, say it, get it out in the open, ‘and I know this is going to sound a bit odd, but I’ve been thinking about – about school, about – us – and – I’m not that sure, really, that I actually remember . . .’

Carolyn didn’t seem to be listening. ‘Do you mind,’ she asked, heading towards the hallway, ‘if I just nip up and use your loo?’

*

The silence that followed was punctuated by the kettle whistling shrilly, then switching itself off. ‘Sorry,’ Evie said, ‘I know she’s a bit – determined.’

‘That’s OK,’ Nell said, casting about for something that would spare Evie having to further excuse her mother. ‘It’s just – well, it’s not up to us, is it? And the next set of people who rent this place might not want anyone . . .’ Her voice trailed off.

‘Picnicking behind the bins?’

‘Well. Yes.’

‘It’s not that she wants to, not really. Dad thinks she’s—’ Evie came to a halt. ‘He’s not that bothered about it. She just gets – focused on things, you know? She’s very hot on local history, and tradition, rights of way and all that.’

‘It’s fine,’ said Nell, ‘absolutely fine. Sit down, have a cake before Maude eats the lot.’ She caught Chris’s eye as they set about making some coffee, setting aside a mug of instant decaf for herself. The poor kid, having to apologise for her own mother.

Evie sat at the dining table and looked around the room. ‘I’ve never been in here before,’ she said, ‘It’s very – nice.’

‘It’s all right,’ said Maude, helping herself to another blondie.

‘It’s the oldest house in the yard,’ said Evie.

‘How do you know?’ Maude asked.

Evie smiled. ‘Like I said, Mum’s very into the whole local history thing.’ She fell silent and began to fiddle with the bracelet she wore, a tiny silver slipper suspended from a fine red ribbon.

‘That’s pretty,’ said Maude, sounding uncharacteristically shy.

Evie extended her wrist, the charm was knotted in place and on either side of it there were two fragments of shell, pale pink, curving like little cups. ‘I made it,’ said Evie. ‘It’s just junk, really. The hardest bit was finding shells with natural holes, ’cause I don’t have a proper drill, but then I worked out I could use bits of periwinkle. It still took me ages to find the right-sized pieces, though.’

Nell placed a mug of coffee on the table, it was nice of Evie to bother with Maude, she thought, to make an effort to be so kind. ‘Maudie’s right, that’s very clever.’

‘Thank you. I’ve only just started thinking about it, seriously. Making stuff.’

Upstairs, distantly, the toilet flushed and a door opened.

‘I was wondering,’ Evie went on, ‘about – well, studying design—’