I plug my phone in to charge and return to the lounge to find the boys lying on their tummies, elbows planted on the wooden floor, chins cradled in their cupped hands, looking up at the TV. The Simpsons is on.

‘Isn’t that uncomfortable? And you shouldn’t be watching that.’ I reach for the remote and switch the channel.

‘Ahh, Mum! It’s fine. All my friends watch it. It’s a cartoon,’ Finley shouts.

‘It’s a rubbish cartoon and not age-appropriate,’ I tell him, while scrolling through the recorded programmes. ‘Watch Horrible Histories instead. It’s still unpleasant, but also educational.’

‘Whatever.’

‘Finley! Less of the attitude, please. Your brother will pick it up.’

‘No, I won’t.’ Leo shoots me a sulky stare before returning his attention to the TV.

‘Anyway, it’s bath time now. Leo, you’re up first.’

‘I want Fin to come with me,’ he says without looking at me.

‘Oh, okay. You don’t usually want him to.’

‘I do tonight. I don’t want to be upstairs on my own.’

A shiver runs down my back. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I don’t want him watching me,’ he says, his face now turning to mine. His eyes are narrowed; serious. I’m confused. If he doesn’t like his brother watching, then why is he asking for him to be in the bathroom with him?

‘Then Finley can be in his bedroom, or I can stay upstairs.’

‘I don’t mean Fin,’ he says, irritation in his voice.

‘Then who do you mean?’

‘The man upstairs.’

Chapter Fourteen

Barb

It’s interesting what people will tell you if you give off an air of superiority, appear to them as though you are someone who should be in the loop. I’ve had that skill since I was a young woman. I’ve put it to good use over the years. Obviously, I’m not the only one, though.

You can be as active or as reclusive as you like, but in the village of Stockwood one thing is for sure – there’ll always be someone who knows everything about everyone. Or thinks they do. Each generation has one such person. When I lived at Apple Grove with Bern, Tim and Nick, that person was Geraldine Harvey. Now, Amber tells me it’s Davina, which doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.