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
[Sighs] ‘Look, Abs needs someone to look after her. It’s like she lives her life in fear of some disaster that may never happen. For example, she can’t go to bed without checking that everything in the house is secure: every window closed, the gas off, the door locked and so on. And I don’t mean that in a normal way. It’s like she’s obsessed. No matter how late it is, or how tired she is, or where in the world we are, she’ll do it, or she can’t sleep. I wonder if it’s OCD.’
‘I see. She sounds quite difficult to live with.’
[Sighs] ‘Yes, maybe. But I love her. She’s beautiful – inside and out – and so talented. I have so much respect for her talent. And it’s more than that.’ [Pauses] ‘When I first saw her, she was having a quick smoke outside the gallery on the opening night of her exhibition. She was wearing this sculpted black dress and high heels. I could tell she wasn’t used to the dress or the shoes. And her hair – her crazy hair – she’d tried to tame it with this clip thing but it hadn’t really worked. She was so clearly a fish out of water – so nervous and unsure of herself, but trying so hard. My heart just went out to her. She was – I don’t know how to put it? Swan-like, elegant, fragile. Vulnerable. I just wanted to scoop her into my arms and protect her. And I have done ever since.’ [Laughs] ‘But she’s not the most stable person… she’s… unpredictable. Antisocial, too. She doesn’t like going out. She lives in her head – or maybe even in another dimension. Part and parcel of being an artist, I suppose.
‘But, going back to your initial question, I was kind of worried that, with me away, she wouldn’t go out at all. So, when she told me about Grace, I was pleased. I thought she’d be all right. She told me Grace was a doctor, for God’s sake. I couldn’t argue with that. I was actually quite jealous. The older I get, the more I like to reconnect with people from my past and wallow in memories. I pictured them with a bottle of wine, getting out the old photos, reminiscing. I hoped she’d carry on with her painting and not get too distracted partying.’
‘You had no reason to suspect anything, then?’
‘No. As I said, why would I?’
Eighteen
Rohan wouldn’t let me go to the airport with him.