When he releases me I catch my breath. His welcome is surprising, to say the least. We have never been particularly close, but his happiness seems genuine. His gaze moves between Hero and me with the sort of indulgent fondness I have never seen on my own father’s face. I frown, trying to match up the man in front of me with the reserved and formal figure of my memory.

“It’s about time your parents sent you out here,” he says. “This little sprite has been longing to see you.” He gestures towards Hero, who is beaming and barefoot, her warm fingers clamped around my wrist, tethering us together.

“It’s going to be so much fun!” she says. “The others are so excited to meet you.”

“The others?”

“Bea, we have so much to talk about. Do you remember the puppies in the barn?” Hero tugs at my arm, ignoring my question, her words coming out so quickly that they fall over each other. “Mother was so mean not to let me keep one, and that scolding she gave us… Oh, but you got revenge, didn’t you? Remember the toad?”

I flush a little at that, my eyes darting towards my uncle. On a long-ago visit to Langton Hall I had taken ten-year-old Hero to see a litter of puppies being born – an educational activity of which Aunt Thea had decidedly not approved. Following a lengthy telling-off and a sermon on propriety, I had retaliated by slipping a toad into her bed. I don’t regret it, but I also don’t want Uncle Leo to think I’m a troublemaker. My parents have probably already hinted at that fact.

But Uncle Leo just laughs and reaches out a hand to ruffle my hair. “A pair of tearaways when you were together,” he says with a sigh. “Heaven help us now that you’re reunited.”

“Oh, we’re much older now.” Hero dimples.

“And much, much worse,” I finish, daringly. All three of us laugh then, the sound bouncing off the walls, warming the air around us.

“I see our guest has arrived.” A voice comes from the stairs behind me. “And already she is filling this old house with laughter.”

I turn around and feel my mouth drop open in surprise. The woman standing there is tall, almost as tall as me, and generously curvy, with long, straight black hair that hangs down to her waist. She is wearing a decadent black silk kimono printed with red flowers, tied loosely over a red silk nightgown. Her features are large and expressive, and only the tiny spidery lines around her eyes and mouth give any indication that she’s older than me. She moves with the kind of sultry grace that I have typically heard attributed to large cats.

“Ah, Fil, my love!” Uncle Leo booms.

“Filomena, this is Bea.” Hero drags me forward a couple of steps. “Filomena and Daddy are getting married.”