She took advantage of Helena being so occupied to invite Martin and his family for Sunday lunch. She had asked Helena via text but said, Completely understand if you’re too busy. I know how under the cosh you are at the moment. While she would have been fine if Helena and Jago had accepted she was glad to be able to have lunch with her son without any twitches between him and his sister to deal with.

She had just settled them in the sitting room with a glass of wine and elderflower and something suitable for Ismene when her phone rang. She saw it was William.

‘Do you mind if I answer this?’ she asked, getting up so she could take the call in privacy. She knew that both Cressida and Martin would be looking at their own phones the moment she was out of the way so didn’t feel too bad.

‘William? How are you?’

‘I’m well and I hope you are too? I was just calling to fix up a time to take you gliding. We’ve got a nice high coming up tomorrow I’d like to take advantage of. It will be perfect for a first flight.’

Gilly sighed. ‘Oh, William! I’m so sorry! I do hope I didn’t give you the wrong impression, but really, I don’t think gliding is for me. I am an awful coward and I don’t much like flying in small planes. I’m sure to be absolutely terrified.’

There was a long silence and Gilly was aware of having disappointed William. She didn’t feel happy about it.

‘I really do believe you might love it if you just let yourself give it a shot.’

‘It’s a terribly long shot, William.’ She heard him sigh and felt desperate to offer him something. He’d been kind enough to want to share his hobby with her and she’d turned him down because she was a coward. He deserved better. ‘I’d love to do something else – birdwatching, angling – something where you don’t have to defy gravity.’

He laughed gently. ‘OK, I’ll let you off gliding, for now. I’ll find somewhere good for birdwatching. Flicking metal hooks around at the end of a line might be a bit nerve-racking for me.’

She realised she was smiling. ‘Thank you! Let me know.’

She walked back to Cressida and Martin; Ismene had found the magnetic atlas jigsaw that Gilly had bought for her. ‘Right, can I get anyone something to nibble? Lunch won’t be long.’

‘Who was that, Mum?’ asked Martin. ‘Not Leo?’

Gilly winced internally. Was she obliged to tell them about her relationship with Leo? She thought not. ‘I was just talking to a friend about going gliding.’

‘Gliding!’ Cressida could not have been more horrified if Gilly had said she was going pole dancing. ‘Gilly! You would never go gliding! It would be absolutely terrifying for you.’