Rosie sniffed and nodded. ‘I’d like that.’

She took Tash’s hand like she was a child and let her lead the way into the house.

‘You sit down,’ Tash told her, moving the Sunday paper and magazines out of the way and plumping the cushions before urging her to take a seat. ‘And I’ll go put the kettle on.’

She glanced back at Rosie before leaving the room, a frown creasing her brow. She hadn’t seen her in this kind of state in a long while, and given they didn’t see each other that often these days, her visit was really out of the blue.

Rosie was glassy-eyed, anxious, and so frail; Tash feared she could be taking drugs again. They had always been her downfall. Mrs W’s release, the break-in at her flat, then Jill’s death. It was a lot to deal with and she had never been able to cope well. No wonder she was the first to crack.

Hannah tended to shoulder a lot of the responsibility where Rosie was concerned, but she was away and it wasn’t fair to ruin her weekend. Tash knew Hannah had been under enough stress of her own and she would not add to that. Instead she took Rosie her tea, sat with her, and tried to calm her down.

‘Can I stay here with you for a while?’ Rosie’s eyes were wide and anxious. ‘We could watch movies like we used to.’

Tash nodded. If Rosie wanted movies, they would watch movies.

If she could keep her occupied and get some food inside her, maybe persuade her to rest for a while, it would do her the world of good.

She made more tea and some scrambled eggs on toast, coaxing Rosie to eat. Then, noticing she was shivering, she wrapped her in a fleecy blanket and switched on the TV, clicking on to Netflix.

‘What do you fancy watching?’

‘Something happy.’

They settled on Bridesmaids, though Rosie seemed mostly distracted and kept glancing at her phone. When the film had finished, Tash persuaded her to try to rest, while she cleared up in the kitchen. She put the radio on, hoping the music might serve as a more soothing backdrop than silence.

She had just finished loading the dishwasher when Rosie appeared in the doorway. She seemed perkier, though her eyes were still red from all the earlier crying.

‘How are you feeling? Did you manage to get any sleep?’

‘A little.’

‘Are you going to stay? You can have dinner with us when Sam gets home.’

‘That would be nice. Can I have another cup of tea?’

‘Of course you can. I’ll put the kettle on.’

‘I can do it. I’ll make you a cup too.’

This was good. She seemed to be returning to normal Rosie. Tash eased out a sigh of relief, turning her attention to the vegetables they would need later for dinner.