Sensing his wife was on the verge of tears, Justin slipped his hand into hers, and she was reminded of what she had, not what she had lost. She couldn’t love Justin more than she did at that very moment. What had she done to deserve him? And what had she done to deserve this? she asked herself as the final notes of the children’s sweet voices faded and she stepped onto the stage to the thunderous applause that rose up from speckled darkness.

‘How incredible was that?’ she asked the crowd, turning to the choir and joining in the applause. When she stopped, so did everyone else. ‘I don’t know about you, but I was dreading today. I don’t think I could have got through it on my own, and I’m so glad to be here with you all. Before we close, I’d like to thank each and every one of you for sharing this night as one community.’

Claudia went on to express her thanks to all those who had taken part in the service, before concentrating on the ones who had worked behind the scenes. She was grateful for the surprise speech by the lovely paramedic, but she wanted it to be known that this was not her achievement alone. She mentioned Bryony and some of the others who had been late to the party, but her expressions of gratitude were more heartfelt when she got to Yvonne, the primary school teacher whose only previous experience had been organising the school fete, and to Harriet, who ensured the charity met its fiscal and legal obligations.

‘I’d also like to thank my husband, Justin, for being so supportive in the last year. I’m blessed to have him in my life,’ she said and, as she reached out her hand, Justin joined her onstage. He was holding yet another bouquet of flowers. Their apartment was going to look like an explosion in a florist shop. ‘I don’t think any of us will take our loved ones for granted ever again, so if you’re here because you can’t hold the hand of someone you love, I hope tonight has helped ease your pain. You’re not alone. We are not alone.’

When Claudia finally made it offstage, her ears were ringing. Even the people backstage paused to applaud her, and Yvonne came over to give her the biggest hug before relieving her of the bouquet to put with the other flowers.

‘You did it, Claudia,’ she gushed.

‘We did it,’ she replied, with a rush of exhilaration that made her eyes sparkle.

Justin pulled her to one side. ‘There’s a long list of journalists who want to interview you,’ he warned, ‘but if you’ve had enough, I can always send them packing. You must be exhausted.’