ELLEN WAS TIRED after her first day at her new job. Her father had cast a pall over the remainder of the day, lamenting over the mysterious deaths of the sheep while the family had their tea and washed up, so she was glad to use the excuse of her weariness to go up to bed early and read one of her library books in peace. She had hoped he might ask about her first day working in the Hall gardens, but he was too focused on his own problems to show any interest in her news, so – though she felt rather hurt – she kept quiet.

Gina, who’d had a peculiar look on her face all evening, soon followed her sister upstairs and got into the twin bed on the other side of the room they shared. She too had been unable to bear the atmosphere, with the misery her father was spreading, and no one had mentioned her new job either. That was definitely a subject that could wait.

‘Damn! I forgot,’ Gina cursed mildly, the thought of her work at the Hall reminding her. ‘I meant to tell Mrs B I won’t be going to the farm any more.’ The words were out before she could think better of them.

‘I don’t suppose she’ll miss you, Gina,’ said Ellen, putting her book aside and preparing to go to sleep.

‘Well, no. Farm work didn’t really suit me, I reckon.’

‘So, what did you do?’

‘What do you mean?’ Gina asked sharply.

Ellen frowned. ‘When you went out before tea, of course. You were supposed to be going to see Mrs Beveridge and you were gone long enough. So where were you if you forgot? Wasn’t that the whole point of going out?’

‘Oh, I just went for a walk up the lane a bit; got some fresh air.’

‘Won’t you get enough fresh air “popping over to the Hall to exercise Coco”?’

‘Give over, Nell. Can’t you be pleased about my new job?’

‘I could if you were more pleased about mine. You only went up to the Hall because you were envious I was starting work with Uncle Tom.’

‘So? What’s it to you if I just happened to meet Mrs Stellion and she just happened to need someone to walk her dog?’

Happened to meet? Happened how? Ellen thought there was no limit to Gina’s nerve but she felt too tired to argue now.

‘Oh, you’re right,’ she conceded. ‘’Course I’m pleased for you. If you want to work at the Hall and you’ve got a job walking the dog, who am I to complain?’

She managed to sound generous but also slightly superior, though Gina didn’t rise to it.

‘One thing, though …’ Ellen continued.

‘Mm?’

‘Yesterday. That odd business with the tiny bottle …’