‘This place is starting to look smart again. Love the coloured lights at the foot of the trees,’ Fern said as she looked at the cut-back shrubs and the newly planted flower beds by the office and the cottage. ‘Can I smell a barbecue? I can definitely hear someone strumming a guitar.’ She handed Belinda a plastic box.

‘What’s this?’

‘Cantucci biscuits I made this afternoon. Delicious dunked in wine. Should be white wine, but I personally prefer red – which you have?’

‘I do,’ Belinda said, leading Fern inside and tipping the biscuits onto a plate. ‘It’s in the sitting room. I opened it earlier to let it breathe.’

‘Is Alain here tonight?’

‘He left a message with Marie for me. He’s gone over to check up on his parents. Said he’d be back about ten, so we’ve got the place to ourselves until then. Come on, let’s make ourselves comfortable,’ and she ushered Fern into the sitting room.

‘So how come you’re back so quickly?’ Fern asked as Belinda poured wine into two glasses.

‘Nigel has sold one of the hotels, he’s managing another, and the third isn’t really busy at this time of year, so it made sense for me to come back and help Alain with the final things to get this place up to scratch for the summer. And…’ Belinda paused. ‘There is something I’ve decided I need to do, so I’m quite pleased it worked out like this.’ She handed a glass to Fern. ‘Cheers.’

‘Cheers.’

‘But first, tell me all about your Scott.’

‘I told you he’s not my Scott.’ Fern swirled her wine around in the glass reflectively. ‘Anouk adores him. He’s really nice. But…’

‘But?’

‘He’s American and that’s where his life is, so there is little point in being anything other than friends.’

‘He might be happy to relocate to Europe,’ Belinda said. ‘Didn’t you say his family are originally from here? Maybe he feels at home here, a pull of the old country.’

Fern shrugged. ‘I don’t think so. Anyway, we’ve not known each other long and I’m not sure whether I’m completely over Laurent, so…’ She took a swig of her drink. ‘What was it you wanted to talk about?’

‘Two things. Let’s get the first one out of the way.’ Belinda took a deep breath and looked at her friend. ‘I finally went through some papers of my mum’s. Some of them are in that envelope on the coffee table.’ She pointed out the envelope to Fern. ‘Have a look through them, will you, and tell me what’s in there.’

Puzzled, Fern looked at her before she reached out for the envelope and emptied its contents onto the table. ‘Birth certificates. Marriage certificates. Death certificates. A decrees nisi. Two old Passports. Normal family official papers.’