He turned to Verity once more. ‘You kept my little girl in the attic room, Verity. How could you do that?’ The words felt alien on his tongue, the shock, or perhaps a need to know, driving him on. Keeping him from showing the rage firing in his stomach. ‘Felix used to take me up there, Verity. Do you remember? Do you remember how scared I was, how I cried? How those puppets haunted me? How father threatened to slice me into three pieces? And then you do the same thing to my child.’

‘Not the same thing,’ she said, as though that made everything right. ‘And not at first – at first I had both babies with me always, but eventually, yes, I had to lock her away. I had no choice, Hugh. I was worried you’d come over to the house. And then, when Tiger started talking—’

‘Tiger? Tiger? She never was Tiger though, was she?’

‘Daddy! Please stop shouting.’ Faith had wandered towards the back door, as though she wanted to escape, alone and helpless, her little arms dangling by her sides – eyes too big for her face as she peered at Hugh from under her heavy fringe.

‘I’m so sorry, sweetheart, this isn’t your fault,’ he said, tears filling his eyes as he moved across the room towards her. But Verity got there first, closed her arms tightly around her once more. Hugh knew she would never let her go.

‘She’s my daughter,’ she yelled, and pulled open a kitchen drawer. She brought out a sheet of beige paper. ‘That’s what it says on here. Look.’ She waved a birth certificate in front of him. ‘Faith Flynn: Mother Verity Flynn. Father unknown. She’s not yours.’ She pointed at the child in his arms. ‘That’s your daughter.’

Hugh stared deep into his sister’s eyes. He knew he must try for calm reasoning, for both the children’s sakes. ‘Let’s get help for this little one, hey, Verity?’ He needed to make his daughter safe. ‘Then we can work something out. The four of us.’

‘No! That thing in your arms is an impostor,’ Verity snapped. ‘She’s not part of the plan.’

‘What plan, Verity? What are you talking about? There is no plan.’

‘She lives in the attic, Hugh. She’s OK up there. It needs to be just you, Faith and me from now on. The way it was always meant to be. A perfect family.’

‘This is ridiculous, V. You’re sounding crazy.’

‘You have to stay, Hugh.’ She spun round, grabbed a knife from the kitchen side, and waved it at Hugh, her face flushed with anger.

Chapter 41

1994

Hugh

Within moments, Verity lowered her arm in defeat. She placed the knife on the kitchen worktop, and dashed her palm across her damp cheeks. ‘I just don’t want you to go,’ she said, her voice breaking. ‘Please stay.’