She steadies herself outside the door. Tom’s going to be confused when she wakes him and he’ll probably tell her to go. She’s going to have to tread carefully to stop him from raising his voice, maybe mention something about how vulnerable Renata is and how it will cause her unnecessary trauma if they involve her in their marital woes. It’s worked before, shifting the attention onto someone else. She exhales softly, opens the door, slips through it and closes it softly behind her. She angles the beam of her phone from the carpet to the base of the bed.

‘Tom?’ she whispers as the torch illuminates the edge of the duvet, a pale grey cotton embroidered with white flowers.

She takes a step closer. More of the duvet is revealed and a hint of white pillow. Then another pillow and more duvet: flat, smooth and untouched.

‘For fuck’s sake.’

Has he already left? How? Renata’s car is still in the driveway and Kate drove their car. Tom couldn’t have got a taxi back to the retreat, surely? Or is he still in the house? Sleeping on the sofa downstairs? Maybe he got drunk? Passed out?

She steps back out of the room and moves to head back down the corridor, then stops and turns back to look at the closed master bedroom door. A thought – ridiculous, unconscionable – flits through her head. Is Tom in there, with Renata? Mentally, Kate rewinds the voicemail Renata left. ‘Tom needs some time out. I’ve taken him to my parents’ holiday house in Abersoch. You need to talk face to face. I’ll see you in the morning.’

She’d assumed Renata meant she and Tom needed to sort out their differences. But what if she didn’t? What if, for the second time, something has been going on right under her nose? Has Tom replaced Jenna with Renata? Do they want to break the news that they’re in love with each other, away from the other guests?

Kate moves silently towards the master bedroom, clutching her phone, her thoughts racing. Her hand shakes as she reaches for the handle and opens the door.