‘Does being told what to do make you feel uncomfortable?’ Damian shouted back. ‘Maybe you need to discuss that in your next session with Tom.’

Fran was too far off the ground to see his face, but she could hear the smirk in his voice.

‘Geraldine,’ Tom shouted, ‘I want you to—’

The rest of his sentence was lost as Fran launched herself off the platform, her eyes tightly closed. She screamed like she’d never screamed before.

‘You didn’t give the speech,’ Renata commented later as Fran picked herself off the ground. ‘About leaving behind your fears and relinquishing control.’

Fran groaned.

‘The only thing I just left behind … was my dignity.’

‘Not hungry?’ Kate leans between Fran and Caroline to take Fran’s bowl. In a tight little voice she adds, ‘I could make you something else if it wasn’t to your taste. Some fruit perhaps, or a yoghurt?’

‘No, no,’ Fran says hastily. ‘I’ve just lost my appetite. Leaps of faith disagree with me.’

‘You finished all yours, I see … Joy.’ Kate turns to look at Caroline.

There’s something about her intonation and the way she stresses the name ‘Joy’ that makes Fran frown.

‘It was delicious.’ Caroline rubs her belly over-enthusiastically and not for the first time, Fran marvels at what a great actress she is. It’s almost as though ‘Joy’ and Caroline are two entirely different people. ‘Yum, yum.’

‘Well I’m glad you enjoyed it,’ Kate says, and there it is again, that tight little voice.

Strange, Fran thinks. She normally reserves that for me.

‘Best apple crumble I’ve ever had.’

‘And I’m sure you’ve had a few.’

Before either Caroline or Fran can respond Kate is halfway across the room, a pile of plates in her hands.

‘Charming!’ Fran says.

Caroline doesn’t respond. She’s coughing into her hand and staring down at her phone. She lifts it to her ear. ‘One sec,’ she mouths.

Fran takes a sip of her water, watching as the other guests excuse themselves from the table and drift off to the living room or their bedrooms.

‘Withheld number.’ Caroline tucks her phone back into her pocket. ‘Probably PPI.’

That’s what she’d said during dinner, when it rang as they tucked into their main course. She’d ended the call without answering it and apologised to the group for bringing her phone to the table.

‘Anyway—’ Caroline coughs into her hand again then swears loudly. ‘I swear, if I’ve got some kind of lung infection from drinking all that river water I’ll sue. Anyway, I haven’t seen you all day. Tell me all.’

‘You were asleep,’ Fran says. ‘I knocked on your door when we got back. Did you know that you snore like my parents’ dog?’

Caroline laughs. ‘It may have been mentioned. So go on, have you had chance to speak to the Gozo three?’

‘Yes, with varying results.’