Em blinked, wounded, as the words hit her hard. This didn’t really work, did it? Oh God, he had actually said that, kindly but with weariness. He wanted shot of her, and fast. Who could blame him, after what had just happened? ‘You mean . . .’ she began pathetically, then stopped herself because she knew what he meant and didn’t need him to spell it out. ‘Right,’ she croaked, her heart breaking. No, George, no. Please, no! Her knees swayed as if they could no longer support her. Her eyes filled with tears and she had to dash them away quickly. Do not cry. Do not fall apart.

George gave her a half-smile, but his heart wasn’t in it, she could tell. ‘I should chivvy Seren along, get her to pack her stuff,’ he said after a moment.

‘Yes,’ she said robotically as he left the room, trying not to torture herself with visions of the three of them on their unexpected road trip together. Seren would doze off contentedly in the back while George and Charlotte discussed the terrible holiday in low voices. Oh God, what a nightmare, she imagined Charlotte saying, appalled. The ex-husband said WHAT? Because the daughter . . . ? Christ, thank goodness I could rescue you a day early! Give it till the first service station and they’d be bonding over Em’s ineptitude, and then they’d be looking into one another’s eyes once more and re-evaluating their marriage in a new light. We were good together, weren’t we? one of them would say. We were so good. You know it’s not too late to try again, right?

Em hurled herself onto the bed and punched the pillow, allowing herself a silent scream of anguish. This didn’t really work, did it? she heard him say again and it was like a pain in her chest, a huge rock crushing her. Goodbye, relationship. Goodbye, happiness. Goodbye, George. It had been so bloody lovely while it lasted. It was only the knowledge that Charlotte was downstairs that prevented her from bursting into full-blown howls. Keep it together. Just keep it together.

Then she scuttled through to the en-suite to splash cold water on her face and try to comb her hair into something less insane. She gave her lashes a lick of mascara and threw on a clean striped top before she hurried down, heart in mouth, to greet their surprise guest.