‘Another little boy. Nice that Alfie will have someone to play with when he’s a bit older.’

All pretence dropped away now; her voice became suddenly harsh and her eyes cold. ‘Let’s hope they get on, then. Not all siblings do, you know.’

Without another word, she retreated into the house. It struck me as an unnecessarily negative and unkind remark. But it was her peculiar, almost contemptuous expression that troubled me most. At times Mrs Barley’s behaviour was undeniably erratic and disturbing.

CHAPTER 11

We were now well into August and the days were gradually shortening. Autumn and consequently my due date were on the horizon. Since work on the roof had ceased, so had the strange noises from the attic. My sleep pattern still wasn’t good, but I was glad not to have any additional nocturnal disturbances. Despite Jack’s insistence, I remained unconvinced about the squirrel theory. What I had heard was definitely human footsteps, not the scurrying of industrious little creatures preparing for the arrival of their offspring.

It was almost as though the activity had unsettled something, but whatever it had been was now calm once more. My imagination going into overdrive, I had been googling frantically, finding several instances where building work and renovation had caused disruption of a paranormal nature in old houses. I always used to sit firmly on the fence with regard to belief in the supernatural, but with everything that had been going on – and the more I was discovering – I had become increasingly open to the idea that there might actually be something else out there. And I was desperate to have some sort of explanation, however implausible. Maybe some dormant spirit had been upset by the removal of the old thatch? Whatever the cause, the main thing was that it had stopped as abruptly as it began. Equally strangely, the man in the garden hadn’t put in any further appearances, either. Everything seemed more settled, somehow; Mrs Barley had become much more consistent and pleasant of late, and I was feeling more positive about things generally. I wondered about Lucy and how she was getting on. I felt bad that I hadn’t seen her for a while, but with everything that had been going on I’d been preoccupied. I made a mental note to pay her a visit when I got the chance. From everything she’d said, I couldn’t imagine Eddie was being much help.