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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

It’s a sunny evening, just before six – I know that because the news starts on the radio just as I slam the front door. It’s one of those evenings when you know the last light won’t finish its slow fade from the sky till almost ten, and I’ve had the most amazing day – my A-level results were all that I’d hoped for and I got into my first-choice university. Everything is right with the world and I’m practically tripping with happiness as I yell ’bye to Dad and skip out of the house to the car. It’s a saloon, a medium-sized family car, more powerful than many, but I’m a sensible driver, not interested in pushing the boundaries, just in getting from A to B, and tonight I’m nipping into town to pick up a celebratory dinner from the chippy. The table’s laid and I’ll be back before Dad knows it.

It’s been the most glorious summer and the fields along the bypass are incandescent with the yellow of rape flowers; the grass verges are popping with the optimism colours of wildflowers; their scents mingling in the air with the other smells of the country – cow manure, cut grass, the tantalizing whiff of meat being grilled outdoors. The birds are singing, their cheerful voices floating from the trees. I’m not speeding; I’m driving carefully, mindfully, aware of all the details, constantly monitoring the road around me. The windows are open, this is true. Katy Perry’s on the radio and my hair’s blowing around me. I’m singing along, my heart bursting with the joy of my A-level results when, from nowhere, there’s a bang and an impact that makes me clutch the steering wheel to stop the car swerving into the oncoming lane.

The trees form a canopy over the roads and, in that split second, when everything’s still all right, I think it’s just a low branch.

I think it’s just a branch.

I wonder, even, if I have to stop, but then my instincts kick in, knowing somehow that it’s more than a tree, more than me having to worry about Dad being cross that I’ve scratched the paintwork. There was a metallic tang in the sound, and a thud; something that didn’t sound like a branch. This registers even as I slam on the brakes, pull to the side, and sit, shaking, for a moment before I open the door.