A glimmer of an idea came to him. Would it work? He wasn’t eighteen yet, but he would be soon enough.

He tested the new thought from all angles. He paced the room more quickly. He jumped over Zita’s outstretched legs. The more he thought about it, the more he believed it could happen.

‘What is it, Tommy? You look like you’ve had an epiphany.’ Zita had opened her eyes and was following his progress around the room. Kit was expressionless.

‘I have! Listen – Jack’s gone, and I’m his only relative.’

‘What are you saying?’ Zita looked puzzled.

‘Don’t you see?’ A joy took hold of Tom and spread through him, making him dance. He grabbed Zita by the hands, lifted her up and whirled her around. ‘It’s mine! The house is mine, it belongs to me!’

‘You’re right!’ said Zita. ‘You’re right!’ Then, as she steadied herself on the back of a chair, she added, ‘It might not be that easy. The solicitors and bankers and people – there’s a lot of complicated things Jack set up over the years. Trusts and companies and shell companies and Lord knows what else. I tried to keep track of it but I couldn’t always.’

‘We’ll look into it! There must be a way, there must, there must, if I’m his only living relative …’ It was true, it had to be true. ‘And where are you meant to go anyway? You said yourself you can’t go out into the world, and you can’t stay here in a house that isn’t yours. So stay with me – in my house!’

‘You’d do that?’ Zita laughed, letting go of his hands. ‘Tommy, you’d really do that? Silly boy!’

Tom felt his heart leap. He hugged Zita and their hands entwined once more.

There was a cough and a rustling, and a black-clad, spindly presence approached. Kit was still weak and he kept having to stop to hold on to things. He grasped the edge of the mantelpiece.

‘Kit? What do you think?’

The boy did not need to speak. His once-silver eyes were bright and blue and alive. He bowed his head to Tom and said, ‘Master.’

‘None of that,’ said Tom. ‘None of that, Kit! There’ll be no master here.’ As if in confirmation, Leana leapt up and he scratched her behind the ears until she dropped back down. Kit raised his head and they clasped hands.

They went outside. Leana tumbled around them, a dark flash of zigzagging life. ‘Look!’ Tom pointed. Across the home field, a swathe of white and blue flowers had opened their petals to the sun.

A hare, long ears twitching, was facing the house. It bounded towards the woods, and by the time Tom had breathed out, it had gone.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To all the team at Little Island: Matthew Parkinson-Bennett, Siobhán Parkinson, Kate McNamara, Elizabeth Goldrick.