She bade me goodnight and I sprinted back to my cottage. My pulse was whooshing in my ears as I rang Evie’s number. It might not have been her and Darren that Betsy overheard arguing, but it seemed too much of a coincidence not to be.

My heart sank as her voicemail kicked in.

‘Hi, Evie,’ I said, careful to keep the worry from my voice, ‘just wondering how your evening went? Call me back. Love you.’

Two minutes later, a text message flashed up on my screen.

Awful. I got it all wrong. He doesn’t want us to try again, he wants a divorce. Don’t call me back, I don’t want to talk tonight. Evie xx

Poor Evie. And Darren. My chest felt tight with sorrow for them both. I sent Evie a text sending my love and urging her to call me any time, night or day, as soon as she felt able to. Ten minutes later I crawled into bed, exhausted; the first night in my new home. Despite feeling more tired than I’d done in my whole life, my brain kept replaying the drama of the week and I couldn’t stop asking myself a million questions. What could possibly have gone so wrong on Evie and Darren’s date for it to end in the threat of divorce? And what would that mean for her chance of fostering; would she have to sell the house? What if Harvey came back for me and found me here? I wouldn’t want any trouble for Betsy. And finally, what if Jensen was right and the vineyard really was in financial trouble? Suddenly, the simple life I’d envisaged back in Derbyshire was looking less simple by the hour …

Chapter 13

It was Sunday morning and even though Betsy had insisted that I work normal Monday-to-Friday hours, I had no intention of lazing around. I felt full of energy for a change after a twelve-hour sleep last night so I went for a walk around the vines, tucking in and tying back wherever I saw a wayward frond. I was already getting to know the different varieties and learning which rows got the most sun. That very sun was warm on my face and after an hour my shoulders were beginning to burn and my head ached. I decided to head back inside for a bottle of water and some sunscreen. Hopefully the winery would be open by now too. Roger had spent a couple of hours here yesterday and had told me that I might catch Matt and Clare in there today: the only two regular volunteers I hadn’t yet met.

On the walk back up to the cottage I sent Evie a quick text to check she was okay and got a ‘thumbs-up’ back. Phew.