I ignore the smart-alec comment. ‘Is that all it is? Why did you come back early from Orla’s house?’
She sticks out her lower lip. In that moment she reminds me of Evie, despite the difference in their colouring. ‘She was asking too many questions about Selena. It was upsetting me.’
I stroke her hair. ‘You’ve been amazing with Ruby. I’m proud of you,’ I say.
She shrugs me off.
‘Amelia? Please talk to me.’
She glances at Evie and, without a word, stands up and leaves the room. Evie is oblivious, talking in a high-pitched voice to her teddies. I follow, wondering where Amelia has flounced off to.
She’s sitting at the top of the stairs with her head in her hands, staring towards the picture window on the floor below. The view is hazy, the mountains obscured by mist again. I resist the urge to rush over to her. I join her on the steps. ‘Budge up,’ I say, bumping her with my hip. She moves over. We sit in silence for a while and then she surprises me by burying her face in my armpit. I smooth back her hair. ‘Oh, honey, what is it?’
She’s not crying but I can tell she’s distressed. I cuddle her to me without speaking, hoping she’ll open up. I don’t want to say anything that will make her bolt. Eventually she pulls away. ‘Moo?’ I look into her eyes. ‘Please tell me what’s going on. Is it Selena or is there something else?’ She’s wearing a hoody in a cobalt blue that’s too big for her and looks so young and vulnerable that I just want to hug her to me.
She sniffs but there are no tears. Her face is white, strained. ‘It’s Ruby.’
My stomach clenches. ‘Ruby?’
‘Before Selena died, I saw her. Up here.’
I blink at her. ‘Up here?’
‘Yes. I got up to go to the loo and saw her. Sitting on the landing in her pyjamas. It was like she was waiting for something.’
Or someone. It sounds like Selena had been with Dean that night – even if they’d met up just for her to tell him to get lost. Maybe Ruby woke up, saw that Selena wasn’t there, and panicked.
‘Okay.’
‘When she saw me, she put her fingers to her lips. I didn’t know what to do but when I came out of the toilet she’d gone.’ The blue vein near her eye is prominent, like it always is when she’s tired or stressed. ‘I didn’t understand how she could get up here when she was supposed to be so ill.’
I play with her fingers, unfolding them from my hand. She has glittery blue varnish on her nails. I wonder where she got it from. I can’t remember buying it for her. Maybe she did it at Orla’s.
‘I don’t think Ruby is as sick as we first thought. Selena was … making it up.’ I hate having to tell her something so awful.
‘Making it up? Why?’
‘It’s a long story. And something we won’t ever be able to fully understand.’
‘So that’s why Ruby could get up here. I thought it had something to do with Aunty Julia.’
‘Aunty Julia? What do you mean?’
‘When I came out of the toilet Aunty Julia was on the landing. Down there.’ She points to the floor below, where the guest bedrooms are. ‘She and Selena were hissing at each other. I could tell they were trying to be quiet. I couldn’t hear what they were saying but Aunty Julia looked really angry.’
I feel a cold lurch of dread. ‘Arguing? What time was it?’
She looks unsure. ‘I don’t know. It was still dark. But not long afterwards I heard your screams.’ She looks doubtful. ‘Am I in trouble?’
I pat her knee. ‘No, of course not.’
She picks at the nail varnish on her fingers. ‘When I got back into bed I saw Ruby sitting on our floor playing with Evie’s toys and that china doll. I told her to go back to her room. It was so weird. I thought I was dreaming.’
I remember Evie telling me that her things were being moved about. Not a ghost, just Ruby sneaking upstairs to play.
‘And where was Evie?’
‘She was asleep. Fast asleep.’
