Sean seemed quite concerned that the body found in Huntley Lodge dated back to when I lived there. He asked if that was a fact or just a possibility. I said I didn’t know. He thought it was very early for the cops to have that information, unless there was other evidence besides the post mortem that led them to believe she’d been lying in that dirty pit for the past three years. I told him that was around the time Avril Ryan went missing. But he said that didn’t prove she was killed then, they must have more. He went quiet when I told him that I was the last person she tried to contact.

Sean asked me if I killed Avril Ryan. Not in an accusatory way, it was more of a joke but he still asked. He still got me to say ‘No.’ I told him the whole thing was a mystery to me and he suggested I forget about it and enjoy my wedding, while at the same time handing me his card in case I needed him.

In the background, I hear the unmistakable soundtrack of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! coming from our apartment. Lucas loves watching it. Yearning for home, I guess. I’m not a fan of the programme. Some nights I join him to get a feel for where I’m going to be living soon but it’s probably not the ideal thing to be watching. I’m not able to look at people eating reindeer’s balls and elephant’s eyes. Ugh, not to mention the constant attacks from snakes and spiders. Lucas told me that there are plenty of snakes in Australia, sometimes they come into people’s back gardens or their outhouses. When he saw my face stretch in disbelief he laughed, telling me not to worry, it didn’t happen in the city where we’d be living. I hope he’s right.

The chocolate drink has gone cold. I inhale one last view then go back inside to where the light from the TV flickers over Lucas’s face. His eyes are peeled to whatever drama is unfolding on screen and I watch as he stares, his innocence, his honesty, his kindness all showing in his beautiful face.

I didn’t mention my conversation with Sean the solicitor to Lucas. I don’t think it’s fair to worry him more than I have to. This is supposed to be the most important time of our lives and I can’t let this event from the past interfere with the present any more than it has to.