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Chapters (82)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for The House of Whispers
  3. Title Page
  4. Note to Readers
  5. Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
  6. One
  7. Two
  8. Three
  9. Four
  10. Five
  11. Six
  12. Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
  13. Seven
  14. Eight
  15. Nine
  16. Ten
  17. Eleven
  18. Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
  19. Twelve
  20. Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
  21. Thirteen
  22. Fourteen
  23. Fifteen
  24. Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
  25. Sixteen
  26. Seventeen
  27. Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
  28. Eighteen
  29. Nineteen
  30. Twenty
  31. Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
  32. Twenty-One
  33. Twenty-Two
  34. Twenty-Three
  35. Twenty-Four
  36. Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
  37. Twenty-Five
  38. Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
  39. Twenty-Six
  40. Twenty-Seven
  41. Twenty-Eight
  42. Twenty-Nine
  43. Thirty
  44. Thirty-One
  45. Thirty-Two
  46. Thirty-Three
  47. Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
  48. Thirty-Four
  49. Thirty-Five
  50. Thirty-Six
  51. Thirty-Seven
  52. Thirty-Eight
  53. Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
  54. Thirty-Nine
  55. Forty
  56. Forty-One
  57. Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
  58. Forty-Two
  59. Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
  60. Forty-Three
  61. Forty-Four
  62. Forty-Five
  63. Forty-Six
  64. Forty-Seven
  65. Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
  66. Forty-Eight
  67. Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
  68. Forty-Nine
  69. Fifty
  70. Fifty-One
  71. Fifty-Two
  72. Fifty-Three
  73. Fifty-Four
  74. Fifty-Five
  75. Fifty-Six
  76. Fifty-Seven
  77. Fifty-Eight
  78. Fifty-Nine
  79. Sixty
  80. Priory Hospital North London: 20 December 2019
  81. Acknowledgements
  82. About the Publisher

‘But Abs…’ Rohan said. He bent down over Alfie’s dish. ‘Have you even fed him today?’

‘I haven’t been down. I was painting all night.’

Rohan picked up the food bowl and examined the crispy, blackened remnants of a meal we could both see was eaten long ago. ‘When did you last give him wet food?’

I shook my head, a stab of shame piercing my heart. ‘Yesterday?’

‘Because this looks really old.’

‘He’s got dry food,’ I said. ‘And water.’ And that was true. But something cold clasped at my heart: I hadn’t seen Alfie for a while. Where was he? When had I last seen him? I tried to search my fuddled brain but it was like trying to make sense of candyfloss. Again, I was sweating, shaking slightly. Painting always took it out of me, but never as much as this series was doing. I was a dishrag. When the coffee was done, I poured us each a cup, feeling Rohan’s eyes on me as I slipped a snatch of whisky into mine.

‘What?’ I said.

‘Nothing.’

I pulled out a chair and sat at the table while Rohan adopted his customary position leaning back against the counter, his body open to the room.

‘So – how’s it going with Grace? Is it nice to have her staying?’ he said.

‘Yeah. She’s working, so she’s out every day, but, yeah.’

‘What’s her job?’

I explained about the GP work and the volunteering. ‘As long as I’ve known her, it was always her plan to save lives; to help people,’ I said.

‘That’s amazing,’ Rohan said. ‘But I’m glad it’s just us now. I missed you.’

‘Me too,’ I said.

Rohan’s eyes slid to the whisky bottle and then back to me. ‘So the painting’s going well?’

‘Yes. I’m sorry the house is a bit of a tip. It’s just… I’ve been really focused, and I have a lot on with Grace here. Double the work.’

‘Doesn’t she help out?’

‘She does what she can. But, you know, she’s out saving lives and I’m home so, yeah, the housework tends to fall on me… I don’t mind. It’s nice to have the company.’

I saw Rohan bristle. ‘Sure. But, I mean, you could ask her to help? I’m sure she could – I don’t know – empty the bins or feed Alfie,’ he looked hard at me and I squirmed, ‘if you asked her to?’

‘I don’t mind,’ I said. ‘I’m sorry about Alfie. It won’t happen again.’

‘So, can I see the paintings?’ Rohan looked so eager it made me shy.

‘Later?’