Keane compresses her lips as she gathers her things and pushes herself up from the chair. At the door she meets his eye with a concerned look on her face and says, ‘I just feel…’

Cullen pulls the door open and swings it in Lea Keane’s direction. He watches her step back, a look of alarm on her face, and rearranging his features into what passes for a smile, says, ‘If only everything was about your feelings, Lea, what a marvellous world this would be. Now, if you’ll excuse me…’

Chapter 9

Nevis

Having no desire to go back to the flat, Nevis heads up towards the Downs and the university, where she intends to remain, telling herself that in the library she’ll find peace and calm and even a nook in which to nap, until it’s time to leave for her shift at the chippy, where the familiar routines of floor washing, loading potatoes into the peeler, and emptying and cleaning the batter mixer might help keep her mind off the incident on the bridge for a while.

It is a bad business having to lie to Honor, or not lie exactly, but to avoid telling the truth. There was plenty she wasn’t telling, obviously, but that’s because Honor is the wrong person to tell. After all, Honor has kept so much from her.

The walk takes her through St Michael’s, named after the huge grey church in its midst, and up steep hills into the eastern parts of Clifton, though she is too busy in thought to really notice how the church looms like an eye over her, how the hills snatch at her breath. You overthink, Satnam would say, but there is so much to think about. As soon as she can she turns off the main road into the smaller side streets to avoid the blare of traffic and people.