“That’s not what you thought before.” She draws back from me, as if wanting some distance to see what’s happening between us, and I realise she’s reading my face just like I’ve been reading hers. “Ursa won’t ever change, that’s what you said.”

She’s got one over me, and I’m not doing this right. With a huff, I try to rearrange my thoughts. “I want to know, if things were different, could we be friends?”

Emee is smiling, and it feels like the sun warming me. “Silly boy,” she says indulgently, “we’re already friends.”

It all clears then, my worry and fear, and I squeeze her hand. The skin is soft and pale from not having to work outside. Our hands together are brown and white, the fingers entwined. A choked feeling of both happiness and sadness bubbles up in me. Mostly I wish I didn’t have to kill the Director.

“You will come back and see me,” she says firmly, as if there’s no question about it, and straightening her spine, like I’ve seen Ma do. The same kind of grit. “Once you’ve been and done whatever it is you need to do.” Her gaze finds mine. Some kind of knowledge flashes between us, and I wonder if she could possibly suspect what I am planning. “And then we can be proper friends,” Emee adds, squeezing my hand back. “Now, go. Before Tansy turns up and you give her a heart attack.”

My last sight of her: sitting on the bed with the skirt of her yellow dress spread out around her, hands in her lap and her wide eyes imploring me to stay.

* * *

Already it’s my day off again as I step out into the street, rod at my side, and sniff the air with satisfaction. Perfect weather. I’m going to spend the whole day fishing. Bit, once his chores are done, will meet me later in the morning at what we call the “rustic pool”. I’ve got a nub of bread and a lump of cheese wrapped up in brown paper in my pocket, while Bit is going to bring a cucumber and a tin of black tea.

Up ahead I notice a flurry of activity on the street. Several people seem to be heading in the same direction. I tug at the sleeve of a woman going past.

“What’s up?”

Her dark eyes are feverish. “The first transport is leaving,” she says. “I’m going to see them off.” She hurries on.