Did they know? It was impossible to tell whether they were fully aware that she was lying to them, that she barely knew her pretty, studious room-mate. Or did they genuinely want her to invite friends to join them?

‘She might be busy.’

‘You should ask her. Or some of your other friends. The people from your course you’ve been talking about. But it would be nice if you invited Chloe. We thought she seemed a lovely girl.’

Zadie finished the washing-up then trudged upstairs to her bedroom. It was a beautiful room and she was lucky to have it. She knew that. But the views from the windows still reminded her of furious weekends of arguments, of hiding in here from her family, determined not to speak to any of them. At her worst, she had traced every corner of the room, walking in circle after circle, determined to burn off whatever they had forced her to eat over an enormous row.

She turned on her phone. A new one, given as one of her Christmas presents. Since she had been away they had installed a phone mast in the village and now, rather than hanging out of a window or walking up the drive, she could send messages from her bed. She would have to message Chloe. Not that having her here would be a bad thing, but wouldn’t it seem odd to Chloe to get an invitation like that, out of the blue? She probably wouldn’t want to come all that way and leave her family on New Year’s Eve. Chloe probably had parents who adored her, who were proud of her and thought she was brilliant. No mother could disapprove of anyone that diligent or neat. And she probably had loads of friends from school, too. But she would ask. And on the off chance that Chloe didn’t have a hundred better things to do, it would be nice to see her. And it would make her parents more welcoming of Max.

She sent a text: ‘What are you doing for new year? MY PARENTS ARE DRIVING ME FUCKING BONKERS xxxxx.’

13

Then