Morgan glanced up from her laptop, her frown melting away. It was Dawn, looking pale and awkward as she shook the snow from her coat and followed Naomi in.

‘Did you walk all this way? You must be frozen,’ Naomi said. ‘Sit by the fire, warm yourself up.’

‘I got a lift as far as the end of the road,’ Dawn said, with no further explanation.

Morgan gave her stepmother a look that conveyed that three was a crowd.

‘I’ll give you two some privacy,’ Naomi said, with a twinkle in her eye.

‘Come, sit.’ Morgan gestured towards the sofa, warmed by the presence of her friend.

Dawn dived her hand into the plastic bag she was carrying and pulled out a selection of Daim Bars. ‘I remember you saying you liked them,’ she said with a smile, slipping off her coat and scarf. ‘Better than flowers, eh? I picked this up too.’ She pulled a box of ‘amber auburn’ hair dye from the bag. ‘It was on offer.’

‘Thanks.’ Morgan grinned.

‘How are you?’ Dawn perched on the end of the sofa, concern shadowing her face. Her hair was tied up with a red bandana, and she picked at the frays in the knee of her blue denim jeans. She seemed nervous and worried, so unlike her usual confident self.

‘I’m fine.’ Morgan flushed. ‘A bit embarrassed really, everyone’s making such a fuss.’

‘It’s all around the village,’ Dawn replied. ‘I had to sneak out to see you. Dad’s grounded me for a month. Just work and home, that’s my limit now.’

‘I thought he was the local vicar? Doesn’t seem very Christian,’ Morgan replied. ‘Sorry,’ she hastily added, as she saw Dawn’s crestfallen face. ‘I guess he has his reasons.’

The wisp of a sigh left Dawn’s lips. ‘He’s always been overprotective, long before you came along.’ Her smile was small but warm. ‘Let’s not talk about him. How are you feeling? Did someone jump you in the woods? Did you see who it was?’

‘I’m fine. Someone grabbed me from behind. I didn’t see them. It was dead scary though.’ Morgan answered each question in turn to the backdrop of the crackling fire as it delivered the sweet scent of burning moss.

Dawn shook her head in regret. ‘I feel like shit. I should never have asked to meet up. Not at that hour, anyway.’

‘It’s not your fault.’

‘You don’t get it, though. People round here . . .’ Dawn swallowed, her words thick with emotion. ‘It’s not like in London, or Scotland. Nighbrook has its own laws. Its own traditions. They look after their own. But if they feel threatened . . .’ She blinked, her gaze meeting Morgan’s. ‘You’re in danger. I didn’t realise how much, until now. The best thing you can do is to go back to London. Forget all about this place.’