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‘I just walked past the tearoom on my way over, and saw her there. Why don’t you give Jacob a call?’

Charlotte froze. Yes, she could, couldn’t she? It would be a good reason to stamp through the thin layer of ice that had appeared between them.

‘Do you want me to do it?’ Lisa already had her phone out and was trying to make the touchscreen work with cold fingers.

‘No!’ Charlotte shouted, loud enough to make all the kids turn, wondering what they had done wrong. Lisa took a step back, then smiled.

‘Go for it,’ she said.

Charlotte took a deep breath. She pulled out her phone, finding Jacob’s number, pressing it to her ear. What if he didn’t answer? What if he did? What would she say if he did, and what would it mean if he didn’t—

‘Hello? Charlotte?’

She felt like someone had stuck a marshmallow into her heart. Only two words, but he sounded so pleased to hear from her.

‘How are you doing? I’ve been meaning to call—’

‘Ah, Jacob … is Clarice there?’

‘Clarice? Right. Hang on.’

‘It’s okay. Can you just ask her if Billy’s all right? We’re waiting for him to arrive so we can get started with the stage rehearsal.’

‘Okay, just give me a sec. I’ll ask her.’

The phone went quiet as though he’d pressed it to his chest. Charlotte listened intently, trying to hear his breathing. All she wanted was to hear his voice again. Jacob. Jacob, Jacob—

‘Are you sure he’s not there?’

‘What?’ Charlotte spun, surveying the group of kids. Two girls were screaming as one of the boys pelted them with snow. Another boy was halfway up a tree, flurries of snow cascading down as he fought for a grip on the snow-covered branches. But of Billy … there was no sign.

‘He’s definitely not here.’

‘Oh, God. Clarice said he left on time, and should have been there half an hour ago.’

‘Really? Where is he?’

‘I’ll call the police. Stay right there in case he shows up.’

‘Jacob—’

In the background, she could hear wailing. She felt a momentary sense of utter despair, but Jacob was right. Someone had to stay put. She had to look after the rest of the kids.

‘We’ll find him, Charlotte. Don’t worry.’

The line went dead. Charlotte turned to Lisa, who stared at her, open-mouthed.

‘What happened? Where is he?’

Charlotte shook her head. ‘No one knows,’ she said.