‘Did I check? Yes, of course. I just checked on her not five minutes ago – I heard you calling for her. She’s tucked up in bed, fast asleep.’ He rests his head against mine, and I soak up the warmth of his body behind me. I am cold, so cold. My arms and legs are aching as my muscles go into a shivering spasm. ‘I need to get you inside, Allie. If I let you go, will you follow me?’

I nod, tears starting to run down my cheeks, scalding hot after the icy water of the pond. Rav picks up the jumper I cast off earlier and tugs it gently over my head, and then I lean on him as we walk slowly back to the house. Once inside, Rav nudges the thermostat up in the kitchen and sets the kettle on to boil before he turns to face me. I sit at my spot at the kitchen table, still shivering, confused and exhausted.

‘Allie, what on earth were you doing? Were you … I mean, did you mean to …’ Rav sighs, his words thick in his throat.

‘I thought she was in the water,’ I say, forcing myself to blink. ‘I heard her calling for me, and I looked out the window and she was outside. In her nightie. She ran towards the trees and then there was a splash …’ I break off, wracked by shivering. Rav fills a hot water bottle and lays it gently in my lap before pouring more water for tea. ‘I thought she was in the water, Rav. I was trying to save her.’

‘It was a dream, Allie. A nightmare. You were sleepwalking.’ Rav pauses. ‘I think you need to go back to the doctor, Allie. This isn’t normal, even after having a baby. Something isn’t right. Your dreams, and now sleepwalking. I don’t think that’s normal.’

‘It wasn’t a dream,’ I say flatly. ‘I saw her out there. And the other dream … it wasn’t a dream either, it was something else, something more.’ A memory. A memory of something awful that happened in this house. Rav’s expression changes and he turns his back to me, using the tea as a pretence to hide his face. When he turns back, his face is neutral.

‘Here, drink this.’ He hands me the cup, but I don’t drink from it. ‘It was a dream, Allie,’ he says firmly.