Drew led Caroline gently away, turning bleak eyes to Maddy almost as an afterthought. ‘We’ll be going to Jersey on the next flight out of Southampton. I don’t know when we’ll be back. Charlie, we’ll need to talk about Peapods. Goodbye, Maddy.’

They trailed desolately away between the dustbins. Feeling more sick than she ever had in her life, Maddy crashed blindly into the kitchen.

She must have cried for hours. She was sure she hadn’t fallen asleep hunched over the kitchen table but when she opened her swollen eyes the room was eerily dark and raindrops drummed against the windows.

Oh, God. All the horror came flooding back. And she’d left the windows open. She staggered round the cottage, jarring her legs on shadowy furniture, slamming out the storm. If only it was as easy to slam out the memories.

The phone rang. She lifted the receiver and crashed it down again. It immediately rang once more. She snatched it from the hook and left it dangling, trying to ignore the nasal voice squawking: ‘Sorry – please replace the handset and try again. Sorry – please replace the handset …’

‘If only I could,’ Maddy whispered, smothering it with the oven gloves.

When Suzy and Luke came in, laughing, triumphant, and soaking wet, she was curled on the sofa in the darkness.

‘What’s happened? Has the electricity gone off? Why are you sitting in the dark?’ Suzy switched on the table lamp. ‘Holy hell, Mad! Who hit you?’

‘No one,’ Maddy snuffled. ‘And turn that light off.’

‘But your face is all swollen.’

‘She’s been crying, love.’ Luke looked quickly at Maddy and switched off the light. ‘I’ll go, Maddy. I can always scrounge a bed at the James-Jordans’.’

‘No you bloody can’t,’ Suzy snapped. She sat down beside Maddy. ‘Do you want to talk about it, or are you best left alone? I feel a bit useless … You never cry, Mad. You always cheer everyone else up.’

Luke had gone into the kitchen. Maddy could hear him making cup of tea noises. He was lovely. She gulped back her tears and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. ‘I’d like to talk about it. If you can bear it.’

‘’Course I can.’ Suzy curled her damp, skinny body next to Maddy’s and held her hand. ‘Start at the beginning …’

It took them four cups of tea. Luke sat on the floor, idly stroking Suzy’s leg. Neither of them interrupted her. When she’d finished she felt completely drained.

‘Well, it’s one king-sized balls-up,’ Suzy said. ‘Poor Caroline – losing her dad and her husband.’

‘She hasn’t lost her husband,’ Maddy sighed. ‘I have.’