“You’re the lady Mari found!” said Pam, though Annie had been under the impression it was she who had found Mari.

But she smiled as she said: “Yes.”

“It’ll be strange without her here!” said Pam. “She’s been here longer than most and outlived the rest. But it can be rough down there, and she’ll be better off with a friend to share the winter days. You know the history of the place, don’t you?”

Annie was distracted; she touched her hand to her head and felt her hair hardening. Pam saw and threw her arms in the air.

“Oh, look at me!” she said. “Talking about history when you’ve got a head full of shit!” Pam bustled Annie round to the ladies’ toilets and pushed her inside.

“You’ll have to wash it in the sink,” she called as she backed out the door. “But it’s a good size, and you’ll dry off quick enough if you park yourself by the range to eat.”

—

The range did indeed kick out some heat, and Annie’s hair dried while she tucked into a bowl of homemade mackerel paté and half a loaf of toasted sourdough. She messaged the boys her new address on their group chat.

Do you need a hand packing? asked Peter.

What about moving all your stuff in? asked Alex. You can’t get everything in your little car. You’ll be backward and forward all day.

I’ll be fine, Annie reassured them. I’ll only take what I need. The place is fully furnished, so it’s just a case of packing a few clothes really.

You can’t move all by yourself, Peter wrote. That’s miserable. Let us come and help you. Alex, is Greg around at the weekend? We could use his muscle.

No, he’s got a rugby tournament. You’ll have to make do with weedy me, Alex replied.

Honestly, boys, Annie typed. I’ll be fine. It’s no big deal. You can come down in a couple of weekends and see the place when I’m settled in. xx

Next, she had to speak to Max. She didn’t want to speak to Max. But she needed to go to the house and pack, and she wanted to make sure he wasn’t home.

“You’ve found a place?” Max sounded surprised.

“Yes.”

“Already?”

“Yes.”

“Where is it? Is it close by?” he asked.

“You don’t need to know where it is,” said Annie. “It isn’t close by.”

“What if there’s an emergency?” said Max.

“You’ve got my phone number; if there’s an emergency I’m pretty sure you’ll call me rather than come around to my house! Have you spoken to the bank about the accounts?”

“I’m working on it.”

“Work harder.”

“It all feels so final,” said Max.

“Divorces usually are,” said Annie.