He met Susan’s gaze, unsure of how to respond. He had a habit of putting his foot in things where women were concerned.

‘I was in a car crash – a bad one,’ she said, before he’d had a chance to respond. ‘A pile-up on the M4. I was driving home from the hospital, tired after a long shift.’ Her gaze became distant as she stared into the flames. ‘A lorry jackknifed across the road. The driver fell asleep at the wheel and I . . .’ she swallowed. ‘Well, I was lucky to come out of it alive.’

‘Sorry to hear that,’ Lloyd said, wondering why news of her accident hadn’t reached Nighbrook.

‘I was pregnant at the time,’ she continued. ‘I didn’t even know. But the doctors, they saved my baby. Sorry, I . . .’ She emitted an awkward laugh. ‘I don’t know why I’m telling you all this.’

But Lloyd was so taken by surprise he barely noticed her embarrassment. Was this the little girl he’d seen in the woods?

‘Where’s Martin?’ he said. ‘I take it you’re still an item?’ Like him, Martin had grown up in Nighbrook. But it seemed he was in no hurry to reacquaint himself with the locals.

‘We’re married now, I’m Susan Harper,’ she replied. ‘God brought him to me for a reason. He’s been my rock.’ Her eyes trailed to a picture of Jesus that was hung on the wall. His hollow, sorrowful eyes seemed to be judging them both. ‘There’s something you should know . . .’ she said, hesitantly. ‘I only recognised your name because I learned the list off by heart.’

‘The list?’ Lloyd echoed her words.

‘Yes,’ she said quietly. ‘It’s a list of friends and family that Martin made for me. That scar you keep staring at is from brain surgery. I was in a wheelchair for months. We thought I’d never walk again.’

A gust of wind drove its way down the chimney, casting a hollow howl into the room. It was all part of the mystique of living so deep in the forest. The houses were more than bricks and mortar. They carried an energy all of their own.

‘So, you don’t remember me?’ Lloyd heaved a sigh.

Susan shook her head. ‘Sorry.’

‘Is that why the place is in darkness?’ Lloyd gestured to the window. ‘Do you react to bright lights?’