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
‘You should have seen the look on his face. I’ve never seen him look like that. All hard and flinty. I could see it was over. He made me choose – and I chose you. You need me more.’ She convulsed with another sob. ‘My God, two years together. All our plans ripped up. My future ruined!’ She squeezed the folder tighter. ‘He was my first love. The love of my life.’
She stopped sobbing and her eyes met mine. Without words, and despite the fact that Alex was always going to dump her, the message was clear: it’s all your fault.
Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton: 20 December 2019
‘You mentioned nightmares? Am I right in thinking Abigail has been having regular, or recurring, nightmares?’
[Sighs] ‘Yes. She’s had them as long as I’ve known her but, despite her waking up every night, she won’t tell me what they’re about, or what might be causing them. Trust me, I’ve tried.’
‘So what happens?’
‘Well, that’s it in a nutshell. One minute we’re both fast asleep, the next she’s sitting up with her hands out in front like she’s trying to stop something. Other times she’s still lying down but soaked in sweat and with her eyes wide open, but there’s usually a scream of some sort. I mean, yeah, it’s not easy to live with.’
‘Have you tried to tackle the subject with her in any way?’
[Sighs] ‘I tried to get her to go for therapy, but she refused, so I tried asking her myself, you know, like a therapist might. I asked “open-ended” questions in a “non-confrontational” way, like when we were walking side by side. Things like, “Did you always have them? When did they start? What are they of? Did anything in particular trigger them?”
‘But she’s an expert in shutting me down. Trying to talk to her when she doesn’t want to talk is like playing that childhood trampoline game “crack the egg”. Do you remember that game? She puts up this protective shell over herself, and there’s nothing I can do to crack it open.’
‘I see. So the nightmares continued?’