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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

‘So this is where it all happens.’ Grace faced me. ‘I can’t believe you’re married. The mistress of the house. No doubt soon to be the mother of the house, too.’

‘I always thought it would be you first,’ I said.

‘Me too, but…’ Grace shrugged and looked down for a moment and I could see the hurt behind her eyes. It wasn’t right that I had all this and she did not.

‘So where do you paint?’ Grace asked when she looked up again.

‘In the attic.’

She backed out of the room and found the little door.

‘Up here? Can I see?’ she asked and, before I could say anything, she’d lifted the latch and scampered up the stairs. I lurched after her, my hand out to stop her but she reached the attic door before I did. She pushed it, then rattled the handle and turned to me.

‘It’s locked?’

‘Yes. Work in progress.’ I bit my lip.

Grace tilted her head sideways. ‘Can I see?’

I took a deep breath. Stronger now. ‘Come and see your room.’

We stared at each other for a moment, me wondering how far she’d push me, but she let it go, for now. She came back down the stairs and I kicked open the door to the spare room.

‘After you.’

Grace walked in with her hand over her eyes then removed it dramatically and looked around. Butterflies tickled my ribs. Had I done the right thing to keep the old furniture? Was it tatty or quaint? She took in every aspect of the room: the wallpaper, the fireplace, the dresser, chair, the wardrobe, the bed, the teddy bear. She touched the curtains, pulling out the fabric so she could examine it with a nod; then she laid her palm flat on the wardrobe and then the desk, as if her fingers could feel a pulse in the wood. She sat on the bed and gave an experimental bounce, then picked up Bear and gave him a kiss.

‘He’s cute,’ she said.

‘He came with the house.’

‘Nice.’ She sat the bear on her lap. ‘So how come this room escaped the “modernization”?’

‘Ran out of money,’ I said.

Grace smiled. ‘I’m glad. I love it.’

I smiled back at her. ‘Good.’ I looked at my watch. ‘So, look, I’m making some dinner – it’ll be ready about eight. Shall I leave you to get unpacked and – well, come down when you’re ready.’

‘Sounds like a plan,’ Grace said, looking at me, and I took one more look at her as if to assure myself that it really was her after all these years; that it really was Grace, older, but still Grace, sitting on the bed in my spare room. It was, and the contented little smile that licked at her mouth told me that she was exactly where she wanted to be.

Twenty-Three