“This is brilliant,” Flora sang out from behind her and Izzy rolled her eyes to heaven. Brilliant? She was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to walk in the morning. If she hadn’t known better, she’d have said this was Flora’s revenge for those times she’d made her run to the Brooklyn Bridge. But Flora wasn’t the type to take revenge. No, this was just her idea of fun. Trying something none of them had tried before, except Aiden.

“Look, Molly!” Flora was obviously enjoying herself. “See the rabbits in the field? They’re so cute.”

Clare rose up in her stirrups and laughed. “I see them! Well spotted, Flora.”

Izzy had noticed a shift in the relationship between Clare and Flora. It seemed that despite the frosty beginning, they genuinely liked each other. And although it felt slightly weird to admit it, Izzy suspected that Clare had more in common with Flora than she’d had with Becca.

Izzy looked over the hedge, and saw wild rabbits bounding across the grass. Flora was always pointing things out. Look at the colors on that butterfly. Taste this wild raspberry. She noticed small things and Izzy was starting to notice them, too. She’d discovered that if you focused hard enough on the present, the future seemed to shrink a little.

She was still staring at the rabbits when her pony put his head down to snatch grass from the track. Izzy almost flew over his head. “Mine keeps eating!” She tugged ineffectually at the reins. “Why does he keep eating? Don’t they feed him back at the yard?”

“He’s taking advantage of you. Keep using your legs,” the girl in charge yelled back at her. “Show him who is boss.”

Izzy was in no doubt about who was the boss, and it wasn’t her.

She gave another tug of the reins and pressed her legs against the pony’s fat sides. He tore off another chunk of grass and ambled forward, munching.

“Grazing is bad for you, didn’t you hear?” Izzy tried conciliation rather than coercion, patting his neck, and stroking her hand over the wiry fur. “I guess not. As you’re a horse.” It had to be hot, she thought, having fur and a mane and tail. And all those flies just buzzing around wanting to munch on you.

This was probably all her fault for accusing Flora of only doing what she wanted to do.

At breakfast Molly had been talking about how much she wanted to try horseback riding. Flora had suddenly said “let’s do it” with so much enthusiasm that before Izzy could produce a suitable excuse Clare was on the phone booking for all of them, apart from her dad and Todd who had suddenly found a pressing need to take the boat out onto the lake.