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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

Grace came down just before eight.

‘You know what?’ she said, entering the kitchen. ‘After all that travelling, it’s good to be home.’

As I smiled at the compliment, Grace pulled out a chair and Alfie sprang back with a hiss, his ears pressed back. Grace pulled a face. I laughed, embarrassed; Alfie was usually so easy-going.

‘Don’t you like cats?’

‘No. But it’s mutual. As you can see.’ She glared at Alfie and he slunk out of the kitchen, the hair along his spine standing up on end. ‘Wow, I can’t get over this kitchen,’ Grace said, giving her head a theatrical shake. ‘It looks like a spaceship. I keep expecting to look out of the window and see the International Space Station floating past.’

We both looked out of the window at the red-brick hulk of next-door’s wall.

‘It was my compromise with Rohan,’ I said. ‘He wanted a new-build with a shiny new kitchen; I wanted this house… for obvious reasons…’ I shrugged, hoping my reasons for wanting a decrepit Victorian house were as obvious to her as they were to me. ‘The least I could do was let him have his gleaming kitchen.’

Grace raised one shoulder in a lazy shrug; of course, she never needed to compromise with anyone.

‘Can I get you a drink? Prosecco? I thought we could celebrate.’ I bustled over to the fridge.

Grace let out a long breath. ‘Do you have anything soft? It’s just…’ she put her hand to her chest in a gesture that came across as pious, ‘I rarely drink these days.’

‘Oh, okay – yes, yes I do.’ I scrabbled inside the fridge. ‘I’ve got… oh.’ I looked at her. ‘I’m sure I’ve got some tonic water somewhere. Or there’s tap water.’

‘Tonic, if you have it. Water if you don’t.’ Grace smiled.

In the cupboard was one can of tonic, quite possibly out of date. I poured it for Grace, plated up some olives then opened the Prosecco anyway.

‘Cheers. Welcome back.’ I chinked my glass against hers. ‘So how was Australia? Tell me everything.’

‘Oh my God. It’s been amazing. Oz is incredible, and I had the best time – but…’ She shrugged as if England had the greater pull.

‘Where did you go? What did you do?’

She sighed. ‘I worked for a couple of years in Sydney, and we spent all our holidays travelling.’

If she saw me flinch when she said ‘we’, she didn’t show it.