Tess didn’t answer.

‘Anyway, much more important than that. When were you going to tell me you were leaving the island?’

Maria froze, as it appeared had Tess. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked.

‘Your house is for sale. Didn’t you know?’

Maria imagined Tess shaking her head. Susan had only recently confirmed it to her best friend – how the hell had Iona heard? It was clear Susan hadn’t wanted to talk about it, which was why they’d not put a board outside the house.

‘It would be a shame if you left, don’t you think? Especially now we’re such good friends.’

‘Well, I suppose …’ Tess was clearly as confused as Maria. What was Iona up to? Maria was certain this bizarre friendship had absolutely nothing to do with Iona wanting Tess to stay.

‘Maybe you could have a word …’ Iona was saying when Maria stumbled forward, colliding with a rail as she did so. She stopped quickly, grabbing on to it to steady herself. The girls hadn’t noticed, but when the door pinged open and a woman entered, she took the chance to flee before they saw her. Her heart was in her mouth as she ran to the ferry, so betrayed by the girl she’d invited to sit around her dining table every night.

Danny had taken his drawing pad and pencils and headed towards the slip of beach that ran alongside Pinecliff Walk. He knew the small clearing was where Stella and Jill liked to meet. They called it their secret place, even though anyone could find it. Mostly no one wandered past because it wasn’t on a man-made path, and today Stella was at home so he knew he wouldn’t be disturbing her.

He liked the spot, too. Right by the edge of the cliff, there was a great view of the sea and the other islands. It was a good place to go when he needed to get away completely.

Only today, just as he was getting his pencils out of their case, he heard a sound behind him. By instinct he scrambled into the gorse. He knew it was probably a stupid thing to do, but often he did these things without thinking.

His heart somersaulted when he spotted Iona. She must have come back on the last ferry. He’d watched her go that morning, and now she was strolling along, eyes hidden behind dark glasses, humming an unrecognisable tune.

He pulled back deeper, praying she wouldn’t see him. He’d tried to be more careful since he’d fallen out of the tree. She carried on walking towards him and then, as she drew near, she crouched down and stopped humming.

Danny held his breath, but she must be able to hear it coming out short and sharp. He waited for her to pull back the branches and demand he tell her why he was watching her again.