Vanessa bursts out laughing. ‘I’m joking! We’ll be walking to the neighbouring beach. Then we’ll take a van to the top of the mountain on our way to the turtle sanctuary.’

Everyone visibly relaxes, including Natalie, who takes the opportunity to pull out her phone and start waving it around in the air, trying to get signal. Millie, I think. I get up, ready to scramble downstairs and grab my phone. Just as I’m at the top of the stairs, Vanessa calls to Natalie, ‘No use doing that. There’s no service here.’

My heart sinks. I turn around and make my way back to the bench, settling down next to Pippa. She gives me a sympathetic look. ‘I’m sorry. Just one more day, then you’ll be able to talk to her. I’m sure she’s fine,’ she says, patting my knee gently.

‘I’m just ready to be off this boat,’ I complain.

Pippa nods in agreement.

‘I take it you didn’t have any big conversations last night?’ she whispers.

I shake my head. ‘Not yet.’

All of us have sea legs when we clamber onto the dock. Hugh is walking ten paces ahead of me, leading the way with Vanessa. He’s hardly looked at me all morning, which is technically what I was hoping for, but every minute that ticks by with us ignoring each other feels like a stab in the gut.

Hugh is off balance, teetering a little with each step he takes. I feel like the ground is rolling beneath me even though I know the dock is stationary. Derek has to steady himself by grabbing onto the wooden posts of the pier. Miguel, bringing up the rear, chuckles. Pippa and Andrew look like wobbly toddlers as we make our way towards the sand.

We walk up a gently sloping beach straight towards a dirt path that disappears into a thick forest. If I wasn’t so relieved to be on land, I would be spooked at how truly remote the island feels. Low mangroves and eucalyptus trees line the edge of the beach. As soon as we duck into the thicket, the air stops smelling like the ocean and instead smells like dirt. I take deep breaths of it, relishing a scent other than the tangy smell of seawater and sunscreen.

Vanessa leads us slowly through the low rainforest. The dirt path morphs into a wooden walkway. Birds call from branches just overheard and animals rustle through the bushes as we trudge forward. Occasionally, Vanessa points out the flora and fauna she recognises, directing our attention to a cockatoo with a bright yellow plume of feathers and a loud screeching squawk. We all fall silent as we watch a huge lizard – ‘A yellow spotted monitor,’ Vanessa informs us in a whisper – make its way through the bushes right next to the walkway. The air is humid and sticky, and I’m already starting to sweat.