Penny smiled at that lovely idea of it just being the two of them and their traditions.

‘When I suggested to Daisy that we stayed at home this year, she loved the idea and she also said it would be great to have one or two friends over for lunch and then maybe go to see Anna in the evening. I’m guessing she wants someone else to share the burden of the bad mince pies, but want to guess who she wanted to invite over for lunch?’

Penny felt her smile widen.

‘Well, Bernard was her first choice, but you were a close second.’

Penny laughed. ‘I would love to come for Christmas lunch and I know Bernard would too.’

‘Well, that’s settled then.’

They took a few moments to choose their food and Penny couldn’t help the huge smile spreading over her face as she stared at the choices. This night couldn’t have turned out any more perfect.

Suddenly Henry’s phone vibrated on the table between them. He glanced at the caller ID and he frowned and quickly answered.

‘Daisy, are you OK?’ Henry asked.

Penny couldn’t hear the words but after a few moments of her talking Henry was already out of his seat, yanking on his coat so Penny quickly followed suit.

‘OK, honey, don’t worry. We’re on our way home now, we’ll be with you in about ten or fifteen minutes.’

Penny threw some cash down on the table to cover the drinks and waved at Seb and Amy behind the bar to say they were leaving. Henry grabbed her hand and marched out, still talking to Daisy on the phone.

‘Hang on, Daisy.’ He held the phone away from his head and covered the mouthpiece so Daisy couldn’t hear him. ‘Do you have any candles?’

‘Yes, in the drawer to the left of the cooker. Why, what’s going on?’

‘There’s been a power cut and she’s freaking the fuck out. I’m sorry about our evening.’

‘Don’t apologise, it’s fine. If I was home alone when the power went out, I’d be freaking out too. Let me talk to her, you can drive,’ Penny said, sliding into his car.

Henry passed her the phone as he slammed the car into gear and sped out the car park.

‘Daisy, it’s me, are you OK?’

‘No.’

Penny cleared her throat. ‘Are you alone?’ Henry gave her an odd look but it was entirely possible Josh had come round while they were out, another reason why Daisy had pushed them out the door so hurriedly.

‘Yes. Josh couldn’t come. I’m in pitch darkness, all the lights went out and I’m really fucking scared… Don’t tell my dad I swore.’

‘I won’t. OK, what are you scared about, aliens, ghosts, mad axe murderers?’

‘Don’t give her ideas,’ Henry hissed.

‘Yes, all those things,’ Daisy cried.

‘OK, the house isn’t haunted, I promise you that. I’ve lived there my whole life and never seen a dodgy shadow or had anything moved or go missing. If there’s such a thing as ghosts they don’t live in my house. If aliens were going to come down and destroy the human race, I think they’d likely start with the White House or the Houses of Parliament or the cast of The Only Way Is Essex rather than a little house in the middle of nowhere with one girl and one lazy fat dog.’

Daisy giggled. ‘You have a fair point.’

‘And statistically you are more likely to be murdered by someone you know than by a stranger and as the only people you know in White Cliff Bay are racing along the roads to get to you as we speak and Anna, who is tucked up at home looking after her babies, I think you are safe from that too.’

‘What if it is a stranger and they’re in the house with me right now?’

‘Do you know what the crime rate in White Cliff Bay is? I do, because I had to sit and listen to the yearly crime figures at the White Cliff Bay town council annual meeting two weeks ago.’

Henry took a corner hard and Penny banged her head against the window. She placed a calming hand on his leg; the last thing Daisy needed right now was for them to end up in a ditch because of Henry’s erratic driving. She felt the car slow minutely.

‘So the crime figures. There were five crimes committed in White Cliff Bay this year. Two of them were kids playing music too loudly on Silver Cove beach in the summer, one was a cow getting out of a field and trampling over someone’s garden. Mrs Jacobs complained to the police when her neighbour came home drunk one night and accidentally trod on one of her gnomes and an umbrella was reported stolen from a pub. Apparently it had been left to dry in a rack by the door and when Mr Sampson came to collect it on his way home it had been taken. It was, however, returned to the pub a few days later so Mr Sampson was reunited with it and no further action was taken. That’s it as far as crime goes in White Cliff Bay. We don’t have axe murderers.’

‘What if the axe murderer is from out of town?’ Daisy said, obviously slightly mollified.

‘Well, that’s entirely possible. You are completely out the way though there. You know it takes a good two minutes to drive from the main road to our house, longer to walk with a heavy axe.’

Henry put his foot down and she was thrown back in her seat.

They reached part of the town that was in complete darkness and people were out on the streets with candles and lamps, obviously making a big party out of it all.

‘You can’t even see our house from the main road,’ Penny went on, trying to calm Henry down too. ‘I can’t see someone making that journey just to kill a stranger.’

‘I suppose not.’

In the background, Penny suddenly heard Bernard barking furiously, immediately undoing all Penny’s hard work to calm Daisy down. Daisy gave a little whimper of panic.

‘It’s rabbits, I promise you, Bernard hates them. There is no one in the house with you. Look, where are you?’

‘In my bedroom.’

‘OK, so you have that white chest of drawers right next to the door, can you push it in front of the door?’

‘Hang on.’

Penny listened as she heard a few grunts and the sound of furniture being dragged across the floor and then Daisy came back on the line.

‘Done it.’

‘OK, you’re safe now. No one is going to get through that door and we will be home in five minutes, well probably two with the rate your dad is driving.’

‘Is he scared?’

‘He knows you’re upset, he just wants to be there for you.’

‘Is he clenching his jaw?’

Penny glanced over him. He was scared, there was no doubt about that. His hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were determinedly on the road. Perhaps all the talk of axe murderers had done more damage than good because he was clearly more upset than Daisy was.

‘No, he’s fine.’

Daisy laughed. ‘You’re such a liar.’ The laughter faded from her voice. ‘Dad doesn’t do scared very often.’

‘He does when it comes to you, honey.’

She somehow knew Daisy was smiling at that.

‘Bernard has stopped barking,’ Daisy said, there was an edge to her voice.

‘Because the daft sod has got tired of barking at the rabbits and probably fallen asleep again. Next time we go out you can have Bernard in your room with you, he’d protect you from any axe murderers.’

‘Is he a good guard dog?’

‘Is he heck but his farts are lethal, enough to scare away the bravest of men. Plus he’s really good at shagging anything that moves. Bernard could shag the axe murderer whilst you made your getaway, but the farts would probably kill the axe murderer before he came anywhere near your bedroom.’

Daisy laughed.

‘We’re pulling into the driveway now, we’ll be there in two minutes, just stay in your room until we get there.’

They bounced down the dirt track, slamming through pot holes in a way that couldn’t possibly be good for the car. She sort of expected this overreaction from Daisy, but not from Henry; it was clear to see that Daisy was his entire world.

The house loomed up over the edge of the hill and, shrouded in darkness, it did look slightly foreboding and sinister.