Her mother Ruth shielded her from the Harcourt-Vane family. Ruth herself would never have countenanced an abortion; it was nothing to do with the fact that she was Catholic. She simply became more and more implacable in the face of Harcourt-Vane persuasion, which soon assumed the character of coercion. All the islands knew what a demeaning time it was for the people in the big house. Harry Harcourt-Vane, having kicked his heels at the Ministry of Agriculture, had recently been promoted to the MoD, the brute parameters of which he loved. But since he was due for re-election in a year, by these same island constituents, naturally he was incandescent. Sebastian acted abashed in front of his parents, was boastful with his friends, and smug with his two elder brothers. Eva was exasperated. She realised how little her son thought of, or feared for, the future. Rather, he was taking away the valuable lesson that one made mistakes – and the women in one’s life cleared them up. Also, that his family could afford a mistake of this nature. Even so, they baulked at the cost of a baby.

By now Eva was used to being shocked by her sons’ lack of self-doubt – it was the entire point of their expensive education – but she was incapable of understanding how this generous-hearted youngest boy of hers could fool himself so readily. He was pretending that Nina Brock was some kind of earthy free-spirit when actually she was – so Harry kept repeating – an ill-educated, Papist, benefit-scrounging hussy.

‘She won’t be living on benefits,’ said Eva. The more pregnant Nina grew, the more intolerable Eva found her husband’s politics. ‘Sebastian will support her.’

‘He’s a bloody student!’

‘We will have to support her.’

‘Damn stupid boy.’

Eva’s eyes narrowed as she poured more water than was necessary into her basil plant in the kitchen.

‘At least it’s not the other way round,’ she said, and thought, as she watched muddy water seep over the base of the tray, how hard it would have been had a daughter of theirs got herself pregnant by one of the local lads. Luckily they didn’t have a daughter. She condemned them both for this thought.

INGA: Eva had only recently moved to the islands; it was a difficult time for her. She hadn’t yet found her life’s work; her marriage was, let’s face it, a disaster.

ZOE: But I was her lucky charm. Not everybody finds their second chance, do they?