Isaac refuses to let me leave his side and I trail behind him like a shadow for the rest of the morning, from the dining room to the study, from the meditation room to the waterfall. He takes every available moment to touch, stroke or kiss me. When we walked past Daisy and Leanne practising yoga on the patio, he stopped walking, pulled me into his arms, pressed his lips to mine and stuck his tongue down my throat. I put my hand on his chest to try and push him away but he held me fast. Daisy’s mocking laughter followed us all the way down the garden and across the bridge to the animal pens.

I want to talk to her. I want to apologise and explain, but there’s no reasoning with her when she’s like this. If I can talk to Al, if I can get her on side, then maybe she’ll talk to Daisy with me and we can work out how we’re going to get out of here. I have to leave – rain or no rain – and I need to know if she wants to come with me. We’re officially supposed to be leaving the day after tomorrow, but with Leanne and Daisy both ignoring me, I’ve got no idea whether that’s still happening or not.

I spot Al strolling into the kitchen for washing-up duty after lunch. With Isaac waylaid by Johan in the dining room, I slip in after her. She heads for the sink and turns on the taps; they squeak into life, dribbling water into the rusty sink as the ancient heating system rumbles and chugs to life.

I pick up a pile of dirty plates from the stack on the sideboard and carry them over to the sink. Al doesn’t acknowledge me as I lower them into the bowl. Instead she reaches for the grubby dishcloth and dips it into the bowl of salt that masquerades as washing-up liquid.

“Al. Don’t say anything. Just listen to me. It’s important. I didn’t mean what I said about Daisy earlier. I don’t want to kill anyone; it was just a figure of speech. Isaac forced me to say it, the same way he—”

“What are you doing?” Isaac clamps a hand on my shoulder.

“Washing up,” I shout above the noise of the taps. “I’m rota’d to help.”

“Get someone else to do it.”

“But I need to—”

He yanks me out of the room before I can finish my sentence.

Al, her arms submerged in a dark, greasy pool of water, doesn’t say a word.