"But you might go away," said Ca.s.sie.

"I promise you I won't leave this spot until you come back."

"Cross your heart?"

"Cross my heart." Jo obliged, and from their expressions of total trust, felt as if she'd just signed a contract in her own blood.

They disappeared out of the tiny door, and she heard them giggling together before they even got inside. It always amazed her how children could forgive each other so easily. Why did adults lose that ability?

She leaned back against the wall and breathed in the woody smell, which was even more pungent than usual after the night's rain. She found it surprisingly soothing. Through the tiny window she could just make out one of the cats sitting in a tree, watching the proceedings. Perhaps she should just never come out. She closed her eyes and waited for the children to come back. They must have been quite a while because the next thing she knew she was jumping awake at the sound of the little door being slammed shut with some ferocity.

She turned and looked. And gasped. Josh had squeezed his tall frame into the house backward-she had to shuffle back before he trod on her-and Toby had just slammed the door shut behind him. "Okay!" yelled Toby from outside. "Now you can turn round and open your eyes." Then she heard the children disappear into the house in hysterics as Josh, with some difficulty, turned round to face her.

To say Josh was surprised to see Jo was an understatement. He was so shocked that he forgot he was in a playhouse and jumped up to leave, thwacking his head on the roof before he'd even sat up properly. He crouched down again, his head in his hands. Then at the same moment they both lunged for the door and pushed with all their might. Nothing. It was not going to budge. Jo knew. She'd spent hours in here in her time-usually with Tallulah-just waiting for the wood slowly to shrink back to its usual size. She considered asking Josh if he wanted to play imaginary tea party, which had been known to keep Tallulah contented for so long Jo had got repet.i.tive motion injury from so much imaginary tea pouring. But as he was holding his head in pain, she decided it probably wasn't a good idea.

"I always thought this place could do with a chimney," she whispered eventually. "Nice period touch."

Josh grimaced. "Yeah, I'm fine thanks," he said, stretching his legs as far as they could go-one out in front of him, the other bent to the side, both taking up precious s.p.a.ce around her.

"Hey," said Jo, trying to shift herself out of his way. "This time it was not my fault you got hurt."

"Yes it was." He tried to stretch his bent leg.

"How was it my fault? Do you mind? That's my bottom."

"You shocked me. Can I-' He indicated for his leg to go behind her.

"I was just sitting here minding my own business, thank you very much," she argued, inching forward.

"Yeah," he muttered, fitting his leg behind her, "waiting to give me the fright of my life."

"I had no idea you were coming in here," she said, lunging forward. "If I had, I'd have tunneled out."

"So what are you doing in here then?"

"Waiting for Ca.s.sie and Zak."

"Well you're in for a long wait."

"Why?"

"Because they're inside watching TV."

"What? They can't be. They told me to wait in here. They made me cross my heart." Josh leaned back against the wall, his head in the eaves, all the fight suddenly out of him.

"Little b.a.s.t.a.r.ds," he snarled. "We've been set up."

"Josh," said Jo. "Will you please get your thigh off my bottom?"

"No," shot Josh indignantly. "You get your bottom off my thigh."

She lean forward and ended up practically eating his nose. She sat back again. "What do you mean 'set up'?"

"Toby-my Judas of a kid brother-persuaded me, with some difficulty, to come in here backward with my eyes closed because he had a surprise for me."

Jo stared back at Josh. "Little b.a.s.t.a.r.ds," she agreed. "I thought they were my friends."

Josh nodded back at her. "Well, they clearly hate us both."

"So," he said. "As soon as you've managed to prise your bottom off my thigh, I vote we go back inside and kick their little heads in."

He turned toward the door, entangling most of Jo in his legs.

"Careful!" she yelped.

"Oh, come to help?" he asked. "How good of you."

"You'll never open it. It sticks in the rain. Last night was a downpour, I nearly drowned."

"d.a.m.n," muttered Josh, banging hopelessly at the door. "Those pesky kids."

Despite herself, Jo started to giggle.

"I don't know what's so funny," said Josh. "I'm claustrophobic."

"Oh dear."

He turned to face her. He was so close that her natural instinct was to jerk her head back. It walloped the wall behind her. "A condition not improved," he whispered, "by someone's entire body weight making my knees go numb."

Jo whipped herself away from him so fast he ended up lying half on top of her.

"That's better," he said pleasantly. "Where were we?"

"Ow," she moaned.

With some effort, Josh twisted his body away from hers, leaving them both just enough s.p.a.ce to half lie next to each other, heads against the door. Then he sat up as far as he could, leaned his weight onto his right hipbone, and started to push the door hard with his upper body.

Jo had little choice but to watch, being unable to turn her head away without knocking noses with him. He was trying so hard to open the door that the veins in his neck were starting to bulge. After a while, he paused.

"Anytime you fancy," he breathed hard, "you're more than welcome to join in. No pressure."

Jo tried to speak. Josh looked at her and couldn't believe his eyes.

"Why are you crying?" he asked. "I'm the one who's claustrophobic. I should be in hysterics."

Jo sniffed.

"I'd get you a tissue from my jeans pocket," he said, "but in this s.p.a.ce it might make you pregnant."

She laughed, then started crying some more. He gave up trying to open the door.

"Hey," he said, his tone softening slightly. "Come on. It can't be that bad being stuck in here with me."

She shook her head. "How can you be so hateful and so nice at the same time?"

"Just gifted, I guess."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Cry all you like. Better out than in. Bit like us in here really."

She started to cry again.

"Come on," he soothed. "What's up? Is it Shaun?"

Her crying came to a slow, ugly halt.

"You want to get out so much," she whimpered.

"Well of course I do," he said. "I need oxygen."

She laughed, then stopped herself.

"So what's up?" he asked.

"I just told you. You want to get out so much."

He looked astonished. "That's why you're crying? Because I want to get out?"

She nodded, her eyes firmly shut.

"Don't you want to get out?" he asked gently.

She turned away, her eyes firmly shut. "I'm sorry," she blurted out.

"It's alright," he said. "I'm getting used to seeing you crying. It's quite sweet actually."

"I mean I'm sorry about...you know." She ground to a halt.

"Not really," he answered. "Perhaps you could narrow it down a bit."

"I found out," she whispered, turning suddenly toward him and giving him an intense look.

"Found out what?" he whispered back, squeezing his hips away from her.

"That you've been paying my salary."

He gasped. "b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l."

Jo clutched his arm. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I-I haven't-I've just been paying my rent."

"Which is exactly the same amount as my salary."

He stared from her eyes to her lips and back to her eyes. He blinked hard.

"I-I was helping my dad," he managed.

"And I was so horrid to you," moaned Jo, clutching him a bit more.

"No you weren't-" he said, trying to keep every part of his body very still.

"I was! But you went so cold on me. Not like you were in the beginning. In the beginning you were lovely. And I'd been so scared of meeting you for the first time after all those horrid phone calls-"

"What phone calls?"

"Every time I spoke to you on the phone, you took the p.i.s.s out of me. And then you got your office to listen in. I thought you'd be horrible."

"Ah. Yes. Those."

"But you weren't horrid at all. You weren't what I expected at all."

"No, you weren't either."

There was a pause.

"I thought you'd be mean and fat," sniffed Jo.

"I thought you'd be stuffy and ugly."

"Did you?" asked Jo breathily.

Josh forced himself to look away.

"About those calls," he said. "When I agreed to come here, I really wanted to help my dad. I thought I was over all my jealousy of the kids. But every time I spoke to you on the phone you were so...disapproving, so-"

"I was terrified."

"Terrified?"

"Yes! The first time I had the whole family watching me, and I was convinced it was some nanny test. The next time Diane was scrutinizing my every word to see that I was a good enough nanny for her precious grandchildren."

"Ah," said Josh. "I see. She is a bit special."

"And you got your office to listen to me like I was some big joke."

"I'm sorry. You're right, that was horrid. But I do have an explanation."