‘Did you hit her?’ Hurley held his clenched fists, like pollarded trees, by his sides and avoided eye contact. ‘No, I told you, I didn’t do anything!’ ‘I’m just asking for your perspective, not accusing you.’ Nancy made sure her hands were loosely resting on her lap and not clenched. ‘You need to stop shouting now.’ Hurley stood up and paced his bedroom. ‘You need to fuck off!’ ‘OK. Time out.’ Nancy got up from his bed and closed the door behind her. She thought of all the things in the room she should have taken out. The statues, the mirror, the brick hard enamel hairbrush. All normal. All dangerous. Punishing Hurley was a tricky manoeuvre and one best left until he’d forgotten what had made him angry. But then those girls had their own responsibility for what had gone on and all they were getting was hair strokes and chocolate biscuits. Bernie was waiting outside her bedroom door. Maeve was still crying and she could hear Adrian comforting her.
