Morgan was no stranger to the countryside, having lived in Scotland with her mother for the last few years. She’d settled in to a wild and mountainous landscape with very few neighbours, and winters that could freeze the water in the taps. But now this mild, gloomy forest was draining the life from her. She glanced around the room, half-expecting an apparition of some kind to appear.

London had been a nice distraction, but all Morgan wanted was to go home. She could never live with the woman who had blown her family apart. It was why she was keen to share the newspaper she had found in her new bedroom. It seemed like an odd thing to have been left behind, given the house had just been sold. But any fuel for the fire of discontent was good for her.

‘Look what I found,’ she said, joining her father at the fireplace. His arms were wrapped around Naomi as she stared into the flames. She’d been slipping into these weird trances since she got here, standing and staring, as if inviting the past to take a step forward and reveal its secrets. ‘It’s a newspaper,’ Morgan continued. ‘I found it in the bottom dresser drawer.’

‘Leave it in my office,’ Naomi said softly, still dreamy-eyed. ‘I’m putting a scrapbook together with all the old stuff.’

Morgan cast an eye over her dad, who was wearing a similarly contented expression. If it were anyone else, she might feel like a gooseberry, coming between a newly married couple. But she didn’t ask for this. She should be sitting around the hearth in Scotland, where the air was rich with the smell of heather and the lilt of her mother’s singing floated in the air. A lump rose to Morgan’s throat at the thought of what she had lost. When her mother was lucid and present, she was wonderful company. Fifty per cent of her was better than nothing at all. But in her current state, Harmony had nothing to give.

Morgan glanced down at the newspaper and read the report. ‘Over the last five years, we’ve asked our readers to rate the friendliness aspect of places they have visited and the areas where they felt the least welcome. Were you assisted by a friendly local? Or did they ignore your requests for help? Was the local hospitality warm and welcoming, or did they leave you feeling cold? This is what our readers had to say about the unfriendliest places in the UK.’ Morgan gave Naomi a pointed look.