‘Absolutely sure,’ Mum replied. ‘You grew out of it soon enough but there was a time when you talked about him non-stop. You even insisted we had to set a place for him at the dinner table.’

‘How embarrassing.’

‘If Matthew was making you cross, you’d tell him that your friend was bigger than he was and would get him.’

I laughed. ‘Yes, he told me the same. Sounds like I created a sort of monster to get my own way. Good to hear I was so imaginative.’

‘He didn’t sound like a monster. You loved him, were planning your wedding.’

Dad nodded. ‘That’s right. Billy. I remember now.’

‘Are you sure?’ Billy was the name that Saranya Ji had given me. It was a coincidence, had to be. Loads of kids had imaginary friends, Billy was a common name. It didn’t mean anything.

‘Oh yes, you were going to marry him,’ Mum continued. ‘You were forever working on your dress, making it from odd scraps of material, dressing up in veils and flowers. In fact, you said you were going to make dresses when you grew up.’

A dressmaker, Grace was a dressmaker. A shiver ran through me. No, get a grip, Bea, I told myself. I’ve started imagining coincidences when there probably aren’t any.

‘And then you made real friends once you started school and never mentioned him again – least I don’t think so,’ said Dad.

‘I honestly have no recall at all.’

‘Why would you?’ said Mum. ‘It was a long time ago and you were little, but suddenly he was forgotten; though I do remember finding you in floods of tears one day and asking why you were crying. You told me that it was because of Billy; he was a soldier and had to go away to the war. I remember that day distinctly. You were inconsolable, but then life took over, school started, you got older and he was never mentioned again.’

Dad checked his watch. ‘Have to go, I have a golf game in half an hour.’

‘Me too. Bridge calling,’ said Mum. ‘Call again soon, in the New Year.’

‘I will.’

We said our goodbyes and they were gone. The move to Spain had been a good one and kept both of them occupied and active. I was grateful for that, even if it was usually them who cut the FaceTime calls short. They were always off to some event or activity.