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post-natal depression, but Grace hadn’t
been the problem, she had been the solution.
    Grace finished
her feed and I placed her back in the cot. James still hadn’t come
upstairs, and I considered going back down to see how he was. I
hoped that he wasn’t just sitting there, thinking about last night,
or worse still, standing at the patio doors looking out with fear
into the darkness. I brushed my teeth and climbed into bed. It was
then that James entered with his laptop. He looked much brighter
than before, and I wondered whether he had found a security light
on the internet.
    ‘What do you
think about this?’ he said, sliding the laptop towards me.
    It was an image
of a white cottage, situated right by the sea, on a cliff side. The
photo had been taken from a distance, so you could see that the
building stood alone on the cliff’s edge. It looked the epitome of
isolation. In usual circumstances, this would fill me with joy – I
loved being away from it all, which I found to be a perfect
antidote to the hustle and bustle of London. But as I looked at the
screen, and noted the web address at the top –
www.coastalcottages.co.uk – my stomach lurched.
    ‘It looks
lovely.’
    He smiled, but
it was the kind of nervous smile that set me on edge. ‘I’ve done
something a little out of character.’
    I shifted in
the bed. ‘Like what?’
    Again that
smile. ‘I’ve booked a weekend away.’
    I asked the
question, but I already knew the answer. ‘When for?’
    He hesitated,
which confirmed what I already knew. ‘This weekend.’
    We’re all
going away…
    And that’s
where it will all end.
    I swallowed,
and tried to push my fears below the surface as James waited
expectantly for a reaction. ‘But today’s Friday. You booked a
holiday for tomorrow?’
    James was
disappointed by my muted reaction. ‘Yes.’
    ‘Where is the
cottage?’
    He seemed
crestfallen. ‘Devon. North Devon. I thought it would be great to
get away. We had such a great time down there in September. And
with everything that’s been going on recently, I just thought, what
the hell, let’s take off and get away from it all. Particularly as
I was taking Monday off anyway.’
    I looked again
at the cottage. As I said, normally it would be my idea of a dream.
It was only the weird events of last night that was making this
seem somewhat sinister – except that I’d already decided that last
night was not what it had first appeared to be. ‘Is it child
friendly?’
    He immediately
brightened, sliding up next to me on the bed. ‘I was careful to
check. It’s got a cot, and a high chair.’
    ‘Heating?’
    ‘Not central
heating, but it’s got a wood burner. I looked down the reviews, and
there are plenty from families with young children. They said it
was fine for them – cosy. And the fire has got a child proof
guard.’
    I thought for a
few seconds. ‘November isn’t my ideal time to hit the coast. What’s
the weather forecast like?’
    ‘Cold, but dry
and sunny,’ he replied, without missing a beat. ‘There’s a low
pressure system nearby, but they said it’s going to miss where the
cottage is. We just need to bring warm clothes to wrap up in.’
    ‘Well, you’ve
certainly done your homework.’ I clicked through the various images
on the site. The inside of the cottage looked fantastic. It had
been done up very nicely. I could really see ourselves sitting
there, by the fire. In a way, it was a pity it would be just for
the weekend. But James had a full list on Tuesday, so would need to
be back by Monday evening at the latest.
    ‘I guess you
wouldn’t be able to get your money back,’ I said. I was teasing
slightly, but also wanted to gently make the point that I didn’t
really welcome such surprises.
    ‘Err, no, not
at such short notice.’
    ‘It’s okay,’ I
said, regretting my teasing. ‘Let’s do it. But packing is going to
be a bit of a nightmare. Maybe we’d better do some now, before we
go to bed.’ I twisted