‘And the fact that I tarted myself up like a Soho stripper the other night to get you into bed, that didn’t occur as a sign I needed you?’ The anger in her voice lashed at him and he hung his head.

‘Maybe it was too late,’ he replied softly. ‘Stephie . . . this isn’t about sex. It’s money. I’m afraid I’ve been hiding things from you. I thought I could sort them out – after all, I’m supposed to be the one who understands money. But it’s gone beyond that. We have two bills we can’t pay.’

‘Who the hell from?’

‘One from the builder for the swimming pool. We spent much more than we meant to. And the other from the French revenue. They changed the way they calculate local tax and I hadn’t kept up.’ She could tell he was close to tears. ‘I’m so sorry. I hoped we could borrow and pay back from the summer rentals, but when you told me they were down, I knew things had got out of hand. Steph . . .’ He reached out a hand, but she couldn’t bring herself to take it. ‘I don’t know what we’re going to do.’

‘I know exactly what you’re going to do.’ Steph could hear the hardness in her voice. ‘You’re going to pack your things and move out right now. I can cope with money problems but this is different. You didn’t trust me. Marriage is based on trust. If you didn’t trust me, our marriage means nothing.’ She turned away before she started to cry as well. ‘I can’t talk to you any more about this now. Sorry. The hotel near the station is meant to be clean and cheap. Goodbye, David.’

‘But Stephie . . .’ The anguish in his voice nearly halted her steps, but she pressed on.

‘No, David. It’s too late.’

She set off down towards the river, forcing herself not to look back. When she got to the bank she instinctively turned left, but that way was towards the château. She really mustn’t go there. Meredith would offer to bail them out, and she couldn’t let her.

Not even checking to see if there were any other walkers approaching, she found a patch of pasture between the path and the glittering waters of the Savarin River, half hidden by reeds, and threw herself onto the ground. She curled her whole body into the foetal position in a cry of vulnerability that no one would hear, especially the husband she still loved back at Fleur-de-Lis.