‘I’m afraid it’s only a small gift, but I couldn’t resist it.’

The present was wrapped in gold paper and a huge pink bow. As she opened it, all of the eyes at the table on her, she pulled out a stuffed rabbit, as soft as a real bunny, its ears long and tapered.

Holding it up, Gabriela suppressed a shiver, picturing Callum’s face as he accepted the gift from Saoirse, grabbing it from her with tiny fists.

It was almost identical, aside from the wear and tear Callum’s version had acquired over the years. Otto – the toy Callum had sent her away with to defend her against the polar bears.

‘Do you not like it?’ Irena asked, a note of hurt in her voice.

Gabriela cleared her throat, coughing away the choking sensation.

‘Oh, it’s so lovely. It’s beautiful, thank you – I’m just a bit … emotional,’ she said and everyone at the table laughed indulgently.

‘Huge congratulations to you both.’ Andrei held up his glass and the rest followed.

‘It’s perfect, Irena,’ Ivan said, finishing a mouthful of crabmeat. ‘Hopefully we can now prise her away from that tatty old toy she is so attached to.’

‘Hey,’ Gabriela said defensively, feeling her gut tighten.

She had never meant for Ivan to see Otto. She had been unpacking her suitcase the day after they arrived, while Ivan popped to the store. He had returned earlier than expected and seen the stuffed toy on the floor beside her clothes.

‘It’s my old bunny,’ she’d told him, an instinctive response to explain away its presence in her bag. ‘I thought Layla might like it.’

He had half-smiled. ‘Sweet. You could have washed it, though,’ he joked, picking it up and giving it a sniff; it was still smeared with jam from Callum’s breakfast the day Gabriela left.

Could it be a coincidence? It wasn’t possible and yet, what else could it be? It was a ubiquitous toy; half the children of North London had one. It was probably the same in Moscow.

The room suddenly felt stiflingly hot.

‘Za lyubov,’ Andrei said, holding up his glass.

Ivan turned to Gabriela, clinking his champagne flute against hers. ‘To love.’

As he spoke she felt a tunnel opening up in front of her, a train roaring towards her so fast that she was powerless to step out of its path.

Chapter 61

Isobel

Heading out onto the street, I feel I have reached the end of a journey. The sky outside looks different as I step onto the pavement. Deaf to the horns and the sounds of another day about to start, I turn left onto the high street where I hail a black cab, resistant as I still am to Uber, along with any other app that tracks your movements, digital or physical.