Sidney kissed both my cheeks and clasped my hands. ‘Goodbye, Lottie. Think about what I said. English wine is about to enter a whole new chapter, one which I’m sure you’re going to enjoy.’ He shot a mischievous look at Jensen. ‘And don’t write this young fellow off too quickly; he’s more attached to this place than he likes to let on.’

Jensen raised his eyebrows questioningly and I hugged the old man to hide my blushes. He was wrong about that, I thought sadly, as I crossed the yard to the winery; Jensen didn’t love Butterworth Wines as much as I did, not enough to save it anyway.

‘Sorry for just turning up,’ said Darren, looking downcast. ‘I didn’t know who else to turn to.’

‘It’s really good to see you.’ I hugged my crumpled brother-in-law and pushed thoughts of Jensen to the back of my mind; right now I had someone else’s mess to unravel, which made a refreshing change from my own. ‘Come inside and let’s have a chat.’

‘I love Evie so much.’ Darren sat at my dining table, rubbing a thumb over the callused knuckles on his other hand, his nails split from their constant contact with plaster. ‘I’ve made a hash of everything.’

‘Why did you move out?’ I handed him a can of Diet Coke from the fridge, poured myself a glass of water and sat opposite him. He looked terrible; despite the weeks of sunshine we’d had, he looked almost grey; he seemed tired, defeated and desperately sad. ‘You told her you wanted a divorce.’

‘Because I love her,’ he muttered gloomily. ‘I’ll always love her, no matter what.’

I frowned. ‘You’re not making any sense. You told her the marriage is over; that’s not the most obvious way of showing you love her.’

‘I didn’t mean any of it. I thought I was doing the right thing.’ He dropped his head into his hands and groaned. ‘I’m such an idiot.’

I touched his arm, my heart filling with hope. ‘You two were always so good together. I know you’ve been through a lot, but it’s at times like these, when you’re both at a low ebb, that you need each other most. And if you still love her maybe it’s not too late?’

He shook his head. ‘No. She’s hurting at the moment, but it will pass, she’ll move on, get what she deserves and then she’ll forget about me.’

‘And what does she deserve?’

His eyes clouded with tears. ‘To be free to start over again.’

‘She doesn’t want to be free, she wants a husband, she wants you.’ I shook his arm. ‘And a family. With you.’