Rhi’s iPad is on the table, where she’s been keeping in touch with the salon, watching customers come and go on her video link, making sure the business keeps ticking over, tutting when someone doesn’t do something in the way she likes it done.

My laptop went with all my belongings and frankly, I’m in no rush to get any of it back. But right now, I do need to hear from Stephanie. I look at Rhi’s iPad, open it up. It looks like the internet is actually working and I quickly log in to my Facebook page, fingers shaking. I know Rhi won’t mind. I wait for it to load, hoping Stephanie has tried to get in touch that way. But there’s nothing. I think about Ollie and feel guilty that he’ll have to explain to people why I’m not there. Maybe I should post something. Or maybe – maybe this was a blip and I should go back. I flip to his page and see he’s changed his Facebook photo to a profile of himself, not the two of us. I wonder what he’s written and I’m about to look when my name is shouted from outside.

I run to the front door to see what the commotion’s about. Lou is hanging out of her window, freshly showered, a towel around her. Rhi has stood up from where she was playing with Tomas on the rocking horse in the dusty driveway. She’s shouting my name at the top of her voice. Ralph is barking. And then we all peer down the drive to a small figure, carrying her blue plastic bags, walking up it. She stops halfway.

‘Tomas,’ I say, despite the catch in my throat. He looks up at me, seemingly oblivious, and I hope he realizes what this means. I point and he looks. Rhi is evidently about to burst. And both figures stand and stare at each other. I hold my breath, as does Rhi, who’s turning red in the face. The figure standing halfway up the drive still hasn’t moved, and I don’t want to be the first to do so. I don’t want to get it wrong. I don’t want to scare her off.

Then, suddenly, Tomas climbs off the horse, drops to the dusty ground and shouts, ‘Maman!’