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‘No’ It caht the look Will gave an to gather up our things ‘Let’s just go back to the house’

The folloeekend, I caht to fetch so, and had found that actually getting up wasaway the swirling ht I couldn’t help but wonder whether Will ake, on the other side of the castle, and hts It was a dark place to go to

Here was the truth of it: I was getting nowhere with hi out I couldn’t even persuade him to take a trip to Paris And when he told ood reason for turning down alested to hi hie at all

I alking past the living rooh, or perhaps an exclamation I stopped, retraced ently at the door On the living-rooed into a sort of haphazard bed, lay uest quilt, their heads level with the gas fire We stared at each other for a lassthere?’

My mother pushed herself up on to her elbow ‘Ssh Don’t raise your voice We …’ she looked at e’

‘What?’

‘We fancied a change’ My iven Treena our bed,’ Dad said He earing an old blue T-shirt with a rip in the shoulder, and his hair stuck up on one side ‘She and Tho on too well in the box room We said they could have ours’

‘But you can’t sleep down here! You can’t be comfortable like this’

‘We’re fine, love,’ Dad said ‘Really’

And then, as I stood, du to comprehend, he added, ‘It’s only at weekends And you can’t sleep in that box room You need your sleep, ith … ’ He sed ‘What with you being the only one of us at work and all’

My father, the great lump, couldn’t meet my eye

‘Go on back to bed now, Lou Go on We’re fine’ Mum practically shooed me away

I walked back up the stairs, my bare feet silent on the carpet, dimly aware of the brief murmured conversation below

I hesitated outside Mu what I had not heard before – Tho within Then I walked slowly back across the landing to my own room, and I closed the door carefully behind me I lay in my oversized bed and stared out of theat the sodiuhts of the street, until dawn – finally, thankfully – brought me a few precious hours of sleep

There were seventy-nine days left on ain

And I wasn’t alone

Mrs Traynor had waited until Nathan was taking care of Will one lunchti house She sat s were

‘Well, we’re going out a lot reement

‘He talks h that wasn’t really a laugh at all ‘Have youabroad to him?’

‘Not yet I will It’s just … you knohat he’s like’

‘I really don’t o somewhere I knoe probably weren’t the most enthusiastic advocates of your idea, but we’ve been talking a lot, and we both agree …’

We sat there in silence She had made me coffee in a cup and saucer I took a sip of it It alwaysa saucer balanced on my lap

‘So – Will tells me he went to your house’

‘Yes, it wasa special dinner’

‘Hoas he?’

‘Good Really good He was really sith ht back to it ‘I mean, she’s a bit sad because my sister and her son moved out Mum misses them I think he … he just wanted to take her mind off it’

Mrs Traynor looked surprised ‘That was … thoughtful of hiht so’

She stirred at her coffee ‘I can’t rereed to have supper with us’

She probed a littlea direct question, of course – that wasn’t her way But I couldn’t give her the answers she wanted Soht Will was happier – he went out with me without a fuss, he teased ed with the world outside the annexe – but what did I really know? With Will I sensed a vast internal hinterland, a world he wouldn’t give limpse of These last couple of weeks I’d had the unco

‘He seems a little happier,’ she said It sounded al to reassure herself

‘I think so’

‘It has been very –’ her gaze flickered towards , to see him a little more like his old self I am very well aware that all these improvements are due to you’