The jokey way he spoke made it clear that he didn’t think for a moment there were any ghosts here. Will had definitely been barking up the wrong tree with Dad – he had the same complete lack of superstition that I did. We went inside and Dad waved towards a door in the hall that he said led to a basement.

“Nothing much to see down there except an old generator and a lot of dead spiders,” he told us, before leading on.

My heart sank as we went through the rooms. The entire lighthouse smelled dank, and there were flies buzzing about everywhere. The cottage itself wasn’t large. Apart from the kitchen and living 55room, there was a bathroom on the ground floor and one bedroom, which Dad and Kate were using. The other two bedrooms were upstairs. One of them belonged to Charlie, and the other, Dad told us, was for Rosie and me. Dad seemed to expect us to be annoyed about having to share, but Rosie didn’t mind, and I was secretly pleased. Ever since her illness, I’d felt like I couldn’t have Rosie too close to me. It was hard to let go of that nagging fear that she might suddenly be snatched away.

“We didn’t think you’d want to share with Charlie,” Dad was saying, “since he snores in his sleep. Sleepwalks sometimes too.”

He opened the door, and I saw that the room had an incredible view, with the windows looking directly out on to the sea. But other than that it was a bit depressing. There weren’t even any beds – just a blow-up mattress on the floor with a couple of sleeping bags and pillows.

“It’s a bit basic, Dad,” I ventured.

“Well, yes, I suppose it is a little,” he replied. “But if you can cope with camping then I thought this would be doable too.”

“I hate camping,” I said through gritted teeth. 56Sometimes I couldn’t help wondering whether Dad knew anything about Rosie and me at all.

“We should bring some candles in from the kitchen, just in case the power cuts out,” Dad said cheerfully, as if I hadn’t even spoken. “It happens sometimes, especially if the weather’s bad, which it frequently is here.”

“You’re really selling the place,” I said sarcastically. “Sounds amazing.”

I thought Dad might tell me off for being cheeky, but instead he looked suddenly hurt and a bit tired. “Please, Jess,” he said. “Just … give it a chance? You never know, you might end up having a good time here.”

Rosie reached out and squeezed my arm briefly. I could feel her willing me not to be moody and spoil things, so I forced myself to smile, even though it felt wrong, like wearing a mask.

“Fine. I’ll try.”

Dad beamed. “Good. So that’s it – you’ve seen everything.”