‘Just what? You go around sniffing other women’s clothes?’ Anger came down on me like the rust-red curtains of a theatre: thick, heavy and dark, spilling over everything, oozing into every crack inside me, sliding around my organs and firing up my heart. ‘Going through her wardrobe! Sniffing her clothes! That’s not normal!’ I shouted. ‘Not in any way is that normal! What the fuck are you playing at?’

Rohan’s mouth was open but no words came.

‘I can’t think of a single reason why you’re in this room, let alone looking through Grace’s wardrobe!’ I yelled. ‘Get out! Now!’

‘I just…’ Rohan paled. ‘And why is it full of kids’ clothes anyway? And those toys? They’re so creepy. Did Grace put them there?’

‘Get. Out. Now. Get out!’ I yelled when Rohan still didn’t move. Then he quickly put the blouse back, closed the wardrobe and raised his hands in surrender, a soldier going over the top. I waited as he edged across the room and past me, then I pulled the door closed and followed him down the stairs.

‘What were you doing in there?’ My voice was icy. ‘Don’t you think our guest deserves her privacy?’

‘Abs, it was nothing like that, I swear. I just found some things on the credit card statement that didn’t add up and…’

‘And what?’

‘Well, I just… I don’t know.’ He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. ‘Look. I saw some packaging in the bin from Hobbs and it was Hobbs on the credit card bill. I couldn’t see anything that might match it in your wardrobe, so I thought I’d check hers…’

‘And what did you find?’

‘Well, she seemed to have new clothes from Hobbs, so…’ he shrugged.

‘Didn’t you think to ask me?’ I said. ‘Instead of going through her wardrobe and sniffing her clothes?’

‘You were painting…’

‘Not anymore!’ I shouted.

Rohan flung his hands up. ‘I didn’t know that, did I?’ His voice dropped a tone. ‘Please don’t be unreasonable.’

‘Me? Unreasonable? I think you’re the one being unreasonable! Imagine if Grace knew you were going through her things! Smelling her clothes!’

‘Look. Okay. I’m sorry. All right? I shouldn’t have done it. I just wanted to know if they were new.’ Rohan put his hands on his hips and his nostrils flared. I could see this was far from over. ‘So, are you going to tell me what’s going on with the kids’ stuff? What the fuck’s going on?’

‘Nice dodge.’

‘Okay,’ Rohan said. ‘How about why you bought clothes for Grace. Can you tell me that?’

I shrugged. ‘She needed them. She didn’t have any work clothes.’

‘She’s going to pay you back, I assume?’

‘She hasn’t a chance to save much money at the moment.’

‘So… they’re a gift? Is that what you’re saying?’