‘I hate to think of you replacing Dad.’

‘Life moves on, darling. And I’ve not exactly rushed into another relationship, have I? It’s nearly five years since Bill died.’

‘I suppose.’

‘What would you like to do tomorrow? I wondered if you’d enjoy a drive out into the country or we could go down to Brighton and walk along the beach.’ She looked out of the window. ‘Weather permitting.’

‘I don’t want to go anywhere. Besides, the police said they’d be in touch. They haven’t much to go on, have they? I can’t see them making an arrest. I bet it was that Eric creature who did it and he’s going to get away with it.’ She shuddered and began to sob again. ‘Sorry. Sorry. I can’t keep it together. I’m being awful to you and you’re trying to help me. Please don’t get mad at me.’

Sophie took her in her arms. ‘It’s early days yet, darling. We’ll get through this together.’

‘But life will never be the same, will it? I’ll always wonder what he did to me.’

‘Life brings bad things as well as good. You can’t avoid that, have to take the rough with the smooth.’

‘Grandma used to say that, didn’t she?’

‘Yes. And it used to make me angry, so I’d better stop saying it to you. Come down and have a piece of cake. You hardly ate a thing for breakfast.’

It was a relief when Andi said she wanted to sit in the meditation room again.

Sophie went outside and picked another flower, putting it in her office. She thought she saw a flash out of the corner of her eye, as if someone had just taken a photo of her, but she must have been mistaken, because you couldn’t see this part of the garden from the street, and anyway there was no one around. The couple who lived in the next house worked long hours and their sons would still be at school.

Jez got home after a pleasant stroll through his overgrown gardens and found Tom in the studio, chatting animatedly to Donna and demonstrating something electronic. When Jez looked round, he saw the whole family there. The children were sitting in one corner, under Jane’s watchful eye, playing very gently with a tambourine and a triangle, instruments he’d bought out of nostalgia for the times he’d played them as a child.

He stopped in the doorway to feast his eyes on this wonderfully normal scene, then Hayley caught sight of him and screeched in pleasure, dropping the tambourine and rushing across to him.

‘Play for us, G’anddad.’

She tugged him towards the guitar and Jane, who’d stood up ready to intervene, studied his face and stayed where she was.

He winked at the nanny then went to get his guitar, the little girl standing right beside him, jigging about impatiently.

‘What shall I play, Hayley?’

‘“Dancing Queen”.’

‘It’s her favourite,’ Tom said apologetically. ‘She asks for it again and again. I’m sorry if you don’t like it.’