I couldn’t say. I felt robbed of insight, not least by how the revelation seemed to have relieved the girl. “I thought Roy was supposed to do the thinking, Bella.”

Everybody gazed at me as if I were the trickster, and Julia looked weary and sad. “I shouldn’t think anyone even knows what that means.”

“I’m saying it was Roy who was supposed to be suspicious.”

“Well, I’m not,” Roy said.

“I meant to say—” I had a sense that trying to explain would simply aggravate the confusion, however deliberate it might be. “Let’s leave it,” I said. “I apologise if I went for you, Bella.”

“Nothing I can’t handle, Patrick.”

“I’m glad to hear you say so.” Just as deviously I said “What’s the plan for tomorrow?”

“We thought we’d visit Monks Cross.”

I was hoping Julia would object, but it was Roy who said “By ourselves.”

“Forgive me, when was that decided?”

“For heaven’s sake, Patrick,” Julia said. “When do you think?”

“Roy, I’ve apologised. I will again if you think I should. I’ll happily save you the trouble of getting there.”

“No need,” he said without glancing at me. “We’ll be together.”

I hoped Bella might coax him to relent, but her eyes were blank all the way to their depths. “I’ll see you out, Patrick,” Julia said.

She didn’t speak again until she’d shut the front door behind us, and then she said low but fiercely “How else are you going to try and spoil their relationship?”

“Do you honestly accept what she said about her father? Do you think that’s any kind of explanation?”

“I think you showed her she was right to be afraid people would be suspicious for no reason. Just one person, Patrick.”

“No reason.” I was struggling to keep my voice as low as hers. “You really believe what she said was reasonable.”

“A lot more so than you’re being. Just tell me if you can what other explanation she would have.”

“She hasn’t got one. That’s my point. We don’t know what she wants, and we need to know.”

“She’s fascinated by your aunt. She got that from her father, the same as Roy picked it up from you.”

“Which we both know you wish hadn’t been the case. Are you going to let them make another of their trips tomorrow?”

“You’ve made the situation worse and now you’re leaving me to deal with it, are you? All you’ve done since you got here is make them more determined to go.” Before I could argue Julia said “I don’t think we’ll be wanting to see you again until you’ve got rid of whatever this fixation of yours is. I don’t want to know any more about it either.”