‘Right, so Mum and Dad just settled down in the village near my grandmother and lived happily. I mean I had a lovely childhood, they rarely argued, I assumed my parents were happy together. I also assumed, of course, they were married. My parents were known as Mr and Mrs Belrose. Dad’s named on my birth certificate. So what happened thirty-five years ago that made my mother run away?’

‘Helena came back,’ Anouk said simply. ‘And all hell broke loose because…’ Anouk took a deep breath. ‘She told everyone Enzo was still married to her and she wanted him back. And that was the gist of the scandal: Enzo was living as a married man with a woman who wasn’t his wife. The devout churchgoers around here couldn’t accept that easily.’ Anouk looked at Belinda. ‘What was regarded as a scandal then wouldn’t cause such a furore now. Marriages break up and people move on these days with no stigma attached.’

Belinda stood up. ‘I think I’m ready for that drink now.’ She went into the kitchen and fetched the tray Fern had prepared and carried it out to the conservatory. She poured them both a glass of wine and handed one to Anouk and pushed the plate of sandwiches Fern had left for them towards her.

‘So, Mum thought she’d be the laughing stock of the village – or worse,’ Belinda said, finally able to fill in the blanks. ‘And she ran away taking me with her, leaving Dad with Helena. I thought that Dad had had an affair.’ Belinda smothered a sigh. For years she’d blamed her dad’s affair for being the sole reason behind her mum leaving him and ruining their lives. Learning about Helena made it impossible not to feel a degree of sympathy for both her parents. But being secretly married to someone else was far worse than having an affair. Her dad might have been caught up in the middle but he was still guilty of letting her mum and herself down. Wasn’t he?

Belinda helped herself to a sandwich before glancing at Anouk. ‘That’s half the story I had no idea about. Now, can you tell me what happened after we left?’

Anouk looked at her, sympathy clearly etched on her face. ‘Helena moved in with your father, telling people as his wife she had every right to live there. Apparently the fact that Enzo told her he didn’t want her there counted for nothing. She just stayed put. So Enzo himself moved out.’ Anouk took a sip of her wine. ‘Did you never try to contact Enzo without telling your mother?’