Chapters (82)
- Cover
- Praise for The House of Whispers
- Title Page
- Note to Readers
- Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
- Twelve
- Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
- Twenty-Five
- Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
- Forty-Two
- Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
- Forty-Eight
- Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Priory Hospital North London: 20 December 2019
- Acknowledgements
- About the Publisher
Rohan was right: there was a smell about the place, but I could see through the detritus of the years to the families who’d lived there before; to the child who’d worked, played, lived and breathed in this very room. I stood back on the threshold and surveyed the room, imagining her again: I pictured her waking up in the morning, opening the curtains, looking out at the street; picking out clothes for the day; getting dressed and ready for school. I’d told the estate agent to keep the story to himself – there was no way that Rohan would buy the house if he knew about it. He and his mother were as bad as each other with their ridiculous superstitions. I inhaled deeply. Was it my imagination or could I pick up a shadow of the girl’s scent; something sweet and flowery?
‘Aww,’ said Rohan when he joined me there. He slid his arms around me and nuzzled my neck. ‘Are you getting all teary-eyed on me? I agree it’s the perfect size for a baby.’ He stepped past me, opened the wardrobe door and closed it again with a frown. ‘But I really don’t like older houses. I swear, they give me the creeps.’
‘But just look at the proportions,’ I said. ‘A project would be good. It’ll keep me busy. Maybe it’ll unlock my creativity! And look at the area. We can renovate it bit by bit, starting with the kitchen and bathrooms.’ I paused. ‘If we bought this place, we’d have the budget to do that.’
Rohan sighed. ‘I really don’t know. It’s a lot of work.’
‘It’ll be worth a lot more when it’s modernized,’ the estate agent said helpfully from the landing. ‘If you can do the work, it’s a great investment.’
It was only then that I saw the small wooden door, about threequarters the height of a normal door, on the landing.