“Chloe.” I fight to keep my voice steady as I slip my hand into my pocket and close it over my mobile. “Did the lady ask you anything else?”

She shakes her head. “She tried to, but then Connor Murphy from Year Four pushed in and Jake Edwards said he’d punch him if he didn’t go and stand at the back, and then …”

Will and I exchange a look as she continues her story about the fight that never happened in her shrill, excitable voice. When he looks away, it’s with a slight shake of his head.

“What did she look like, the lady?” I ask, when Chloe finally draws breath.

“Just a normal lady.” She shrugs. “In a blue hat.”

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Five Years Earlier

“This has to be illegal.”

We are standing on the banks of the river, a rectangular wooden pyre looming out of the darkness beside us, the only light the soft glow of the flares that were dug into the soft mud this morning. Two days have passed since Isaac broke the news about Ruth’s death. Somehow, I’ve managed to avoid the promised “chat” with him, although I’ve been nervously anticipating him approaching me at any time.

Al is beside me, her hand in mine. Leanne and Daisy are standing on the other side of her, crying silently. Every couple of seconds they unclasp hands to wipe their cheeks with the back of their hands, but fresh tears take the place of the ones they’ve just rubbed away. There’s something disingenuous about their over-the-top grief. They never knew Ruth, never even met her, but they’re sobbing like they’ve lost a close relative.

“We need to go to the British Consulate,” Al whispers back. We are flanked on either side by members of Ekanta Yatra, so have to keep our voices low. “And the press. People need to know what’s happening here.”

“We need to get back to Pokhara first.”

“We’re stuck here for at least another month, according to Johan. I can’t believe Leanne brought us here in monsoon season. What was she thinking?”

That this would happen, I think but don’t say.

“Anyway.” Al shrugs. “It doesn’t look like Daisy and Leanne are bothered about leaving any time soon.”

I glance at Daisy. She still hasn’t spoken to me since our argument in the girls’ dormitory. Instead, she’s glued herself to Leanne’s side, attending every meditation, every talk and every yoga session. At meal times she sits with Leanne or members of Ekanta Yatra, while I sit at a different table. Sometimes Al sits with me; sometimes she sits with Daisy. She’s trying to be diplomatic but it still hurts.

“It’s sick.” Al nods towards the pyre. “These people are living on a different planet.”