THE STORY SO FAR: Newly unemployed Mary-Anne accepts the offer to go and live with her eccentric great-aunt Rose in her large North London home. Rose, a retired stage actress, wants help sorting through years’ worth of memorabilia from her long career and thinks Mary-Anne is the woman for the job. While taking a stroll on Hampstead Heath with Rose’s angry little dog, Rumpus, Rose introduces Mary-Anne to her neighbour, Sara, who Mary-Anne takes an instant dislike to. At the end of their first day together, Rose confides in Mary-Anne that she is particularly keen to find a manuscript gifted to her by a recently deceased bestselling writer, who she dated in her 20s. That night, Mary-Anne awakes to hear strange noises coming from the landing outside her bedroom. When she goes to investigate, she thinks she sees torchlight and someone bolting for the stairs.
Rose was sitting at the kitchen table sipping coffee and flicking through The Times when Mary-Anne came downstairs at 8.30 that morning.
‘Everything OK, dear?’ asked Rose as Mary-Anne sat opposite her.
‘Yes, just a bit tired. Did you get up in the night? I thought I heard someone.’
Rose shook her head. ‘Not me. I nearly always sleep right through. Help yourself to coffee.’
Mary-Anne poured herself a large mug of coffee and added two spoons of sugar from a bowl in the middle of the table.
‘You look like you barely slept a wink,’ said Rose.
Mary-Anne smiled. ‘I’m fine. I think it’s just being