The beam lands on Liam. He’s on the ground and, at first, I can’t quite make out why – did he fall? But then I see that his leg is caught in a huge gin trap – the same one we saw in the castle. It’s snapped around his right calf. He’s clutching at it in complete shock and is howling in horror and pain. I’m too frozen to respond. All I can do is stare at the bloody metal teeth eating through his flesh and the blood pooling around him and his stricken face, but then I lift the torch and shine it straight ahead, to where the person was standing not seconds ago.

And there they are, still standing in the exact same place, watching me across the distance: a ghost.

PART TWO

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Eight Months Earlier

Mia

It’s the kind of Christmas Eve you only ever see on Christmas cards. Snow fell this morning, covering the fields all around, inches deep, blanketing everything in such a profound silence it feels like we’re cocooned in a world of our own.

Will and I went out for a walk this afternoon. The hedgerows were crusted with snow as thick as royal icing, and the only splashes of colour came from the red holly berries, which looked like drops of blood scattered on top.

Now, as evening falls, Will stokes the fire and I arrange presents under the tree and hang two stockings from the fireplace, singing along to ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham!, not caring that I’m out of tune. Will’s laughing and singing along with me, and I have to stop for a brief moment to recognise how perfect the moment is.

Will’s family are all down south and he was on call over the holidays, so we decided to stay put and I’m glad about it. It feels special – magical even. It’s our second Christmas together but last Christmas we’d only been dating for a month and Will went to his mum’s for Christmas. When he found out I had no family other than a half-sister in Australia, he invited me to come with him; but I didn’t feel like I could.

Now I look around at the blazing fire Will has set and the coloured lights flashing on the tree and I find myself grinning uncontrollably from ear to ear.

I never thought I would ever feel this way: so loved and so happy. And yet, here we are. Will’s perfect: good-looking, kind, thoughtful. He’s patient, not just with his patients, but with me. I sometimes worry he’s too perfect and that he must be hiding something.

‘I told you I had my Boy Scout badge,’ Will says, happily admiring the fire he’s made from the logs he cut earlier in the winter.