“Fuck off!” Izzy flew to her feet, her hair whipping round her face. Her eyes were red from crying, her cheeks soaked and streaked with the evidence. “Can’t you get it into your thick head that I don’t want you around? Just fuck off and leave me alone.” She shoved Flora, then grabbed her backpack and ran across the lawn. She stumbled twice, righted herself, arms flailing.

Can’t see where she’s going, Flora thought, pulling her soaked T-shirt away from her body. Most of her foamy cappuccino was now on her body or on the lawn.

She put the empty cup down and sat down hard on the sunlounger Izzy had just vacated.

Family life, family life.

But her heart ached for Izzy.

She wanted to go after her but that would be stupid, wouldn’t it? Izzy had made it clear she hadn’t wanted to talk to her and the fact that Flora had witnessed the tears she’d been trying to hide wasn’t going to endear her to the girl anytime soon.

She sat, with no idea what to do next. A butterfly danced across her field of vision, a swirl of color against the deep blue of the lake.

There was no sign of Izzy.

Flora stood up. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she squinted along the trail, and then moved closer to the water so that she had a better view of the boathouse.

Nothing.

Anxiety gnawed at her. She felt a rush of frustration toward Jack. She’d known something was wrong. He should have checked on Izzy before he left.

Jack hadn’t seemed worried, but Flora was sure that he was missing something big.

Slowly she scanned the path that led along the side of the lake. Had she gone into the forest?

What if she swam on her own and got into trouble?

Flora would never be able to forgive herself. She was willing to endure more abuse just to be sure Izzy was all right.

She had to check. She had to.

She probably wouldn’t even announce herself. As soon as she found Izzy and reassured herself that she was okay, she’d come back to the house and focus on the garden.

She returned to the kitchen, and stuffed a few provisions into a bag. Should she change her T-shirt? Deciding there was no time, she locked the back door and headed through the forest to the boathouse. As she drew closer, she could see no one had been near it. It was locked up and quiet. There was no sign of Izzy.

But she’d definitely walked in this direction, so where else could she be?

Flora skirted the side of the boathouse and stepped onto the dock, trying not to look down at the water shimmering beneath the planks.