The car turned onto a single-track lane, a river visible through the hedgerow and down a steep bank to her left. She asked what it was called, but he didn’t answer as they approached a walled entrance with an open gateway on the right. One of the stone pillars bore an engraved name.

“The Ashes,” Esther said. “Like the trees?”

Thomas grunted, which she took as a yes.

They drove through, beneath the branches, onto a short gravel driveway, and she saw the house. A good-size place, neater than she expected, pebble-dash walls, small sash windows, the front door painted green with a single frosted glass pane at the centre.

“It looks nice,” she said, surprised by the lightness of her own voice.

“It’s not bad,” he said as the car came to a shuddering halt. The handbrake creaked, and he shut off the engine. The car rocked, relieved of his weight as he climbed out. Esther remained where she was, unsure if he intended to open the passenger door for her. He did not. She watched through the window as he walked around the front of the car and towards the house. He paused, looked back at her, and indicated that she should follow him. She opened the door, climbed out, and reached into the back for her bag. By the time she closed the passenger door and went after him, he had already disappeared inside.

She paused there, by the car, in front of the house. The smell enveloped her. Of animals and earth, rich and deep and dark, and not entirely unpleasant. Birds called all around, full of spring and mischief. She looked up, saw clouds rolling across a wide blue sky. Turning in a circle, she took it in, the expanse of it all. Then she looked towards the door.

A warning bell rang in the distant reaches of her mind, but she dismissed it.

Esther stepped into the hall, her shoes echoing on the stone floor. A stairway in front of her, a sitting room to the right, and what she guessed was the kitchen to the left. A jangle of fear sounded inside her, bright and piercing. The urge rose to turn and flee from this place, and she forced it away, told herself to be grateful for God’s mercy in bringing her here.

But I don’t believe in God, she thought. Not really.

Before another thought could follow, Thomas’s voice rang out from the kitchen. “In here,” he called.