Was it too late to pack it in and travel now? There was nothing keeping her in Longhampton, other than her clients. They’d cope. Emily and Bryan could do everything she did.

Well, there was Sybil. The cat. But that would mean a call to Phil to discuss what to do with her. Tara had made a solemn promise with herself that this time she would not crack first and ring Phil. It had never been as long as this before. But a promise was a promise.

Phil Shawcross swaggered into her mind’s eye in his black jeans, his blue eyes twinkling as if he was thinking of something very bad, his confident, slightly retro attitude thoroughly inappropriate for a meeting about calming pink light.

Tara shoved the distracting mental image of Phil to one side. Fresh starts are the silver lining of disaster, she reminded herself. She’d said this, gently, over and over, to people crushed with despair at the prospect of spring-cleaning their homes with shovels and a skip. Take this opportunity to work out what truly matters to you, let go of what doesn’t.

But what did she want? Really? If no one was watching her, what did she want?

Imaginary Phil winked at her, as if he knew exactly what she wanted, and Tara squeezed her eyes shut and crossed her legs. At no point in their five years together, had Justin made her feel flustered in a Lunch and Learn.

‘Any questions?’

She snapped to attention with an embarrassingly obvious jerk. Kasia was smiling at the front, and a few people were angling their heads to see if Chloe had remembered to order pudding for the buffet.

Tara wondered who would ask a question. If no one did – and usually someone managed a question, even for personal-agenda-driven reasons – Jacqueline always came up with an enquiry about something or other, to show willing.

David raised his hand. ‘Would you say that functioning self-care is an ethical imperative that we, as a cohort, should take a lead on? My previous practice had a seasonal team sport initiative, for example.’

Across the room, someone muttered, ‘In English?’

‘That’s a very good point, David!’ Jacqueline jumped in before Kasia could respond. ‘I’ve actually been planning a group sporting challenge, to help us get to know one another a little better. Details to follow!’ She tapped her nose and beamed at him.

‘Oh … great,’ said Bryan heavily, summing up the mood of the assembled therapists – apart from Lionel, who had found the slab of brownies Chloe had ordered and was busy helping himself to the middle bits.

Tara started with a headache after lunch, not entirely brought on by ‘all the processed sugar in the brownies’ as Anji disapprovingly informed everyone.