‘I just . . .’ Izzie was still hiding her face. ‘I don’t want to say,’ she wailed.

‘You have to say,’ Em replied sternly. ‘Your dad’s making all kinds of accusations. I don’t know where they’re coming from.’

Izzie scrubbed her face with the dressing-gown sleeve, streaking make-up everywhere. ‘They came from me,’ she said in a low voice. She hiccuped. ‘It was just a stupid game. I didn’t think anyone would believe me. It was like . . .’ She remembered Olivia’s words from the beach that day. ‘Fake it till you make it. You know?’

‘So you said those things? About George? You said you’d got off with him?’

Izzie looked utterly mortified, as well she might. ‘I want to go home,’ she sobbed. ‘I can’t stay here. I’ve ruined the holiday. Can I go home?’

Em stared at her, unable to get her head around this. Her own daughter telling such vile, awful lies. Izzie had always been a good girl. Such a nice person! Whatever had possessed her? ‘You could have got George into so much trouble,’ she said. ‘Your dad was all set to kill him, for one thing. Louise will have passed it on to everyone in town by now . . . they’re all going to think the worst of him. When he’s done nothing wrong!’ This was just horrible, she thought in despair. So completely awful for George, if anyone were to believe Izzie’s lies. The best and loveliest man, ruined by her daughter – for what? What was going on in her head?

‘I’m . . . I’m sorry,’ Izzie said, just as there was a knock at the front door downstairs. Then she jerked up in alarm and ran to the mirror. ‘Oh, shit!’ she said.

‘I’ll get it,’ came George’s muffled shout.

‘If that’s for me, I’ll have to – oh God, look at my face,’ groaned Izzie, staring at her reflection.

‘What do you mean, if that’s for you?’ Em asked, feeling more bamboozled by the minute. ‘Who’s going to be knocking for you?’ She could hear a female voice from downstairs – probably Lorna, she guessed, checking that everything was okay. Ha! What a time to be asking such a question. ‘Look, you’re going to have to put this right,’ she said fiercely, turning back to the matter in hand. ‘You’ve got to tell everyone – including Dad, including Louise – that you lied. You have to do that, do you understand? You need to apologize to George.’

‘No! Please!’ cried Izzie crumpling all over again. She looked petrified. ‘Does he know, then? What I said? Please don’t make me say anything to him. I’d rather die.’

Em didn’t know what to say any more. She could see Izzie was limp and squirming with embarrassment – had she had a crush on him? she wondered. Was that what this was all about?