‘I thought we might have a picnic tomorrow, if the weather holds. Ruth will prepare one for us. We can head for the nearest beach with Rosamund and her family – they’ll be arriving first thing.’

‘Really? You never said.’

‘I wasn’t sure if she would come, so didn’t want to mention it before I was sure. But I had a text from her earlier. They’ll be here in the morning.’ She paused. ‘I hope that’s OK.’

‘Of course it is, if that’s what you want.’

‘It is, yes. I can’t wait to see her.’

As they pushed through some brambles, Amelia caught her hand on a thorn and winced. Her mum grabbed a clean tissue from her pocket, took hold of Amelia’s hand, and pressed the tissue gently against the small tear in her daughter’s skin. ‘There you go,’ she said with a smile, and for a moment Amelia was transported back to her childhood.

‘Almost there,’ Finn called from up ahead, where he was walking with Robert.

Amelia glanced back over her shoulder. Lark had fallen behind, and Jackson was running towards her. He stopped when he reached her, and took hold of her hand as though trying to speed her up. She snatched it away. What is it with those two?

‘You’ll like Rosamund,’ her mum said. ‘I used to work with her a long time ago.’

‘Yes, I remember.’

‘Just round the next bend,’ Finn called. He was a fair way ahead of them now.

Five minutes later they finally reached the ruin.

‘And that’s a wrap, folks,’ Finn said, flashing the torch towards Amelia and her mum emerging from the forest. ‘Where’s Jackson and Lark?’

They waited and waited, Amelia’s eyes flicking over the wooded area.

‘Oh for goodness’ sake,’ her mum said. ‘I’ll call Jackson.’ She rummaged in her pocket for her phone, and looked at the screen. ‘I haven’t got a signal,’ she said. ‘Oh God, where can they be?’

‘They can’t be far,’ Amelia said, as her dad hurried over.

‘You look tired, Caroline,’ he said.

Amelia nodded. ‘Let me walk you back to your cottage, Mum. Then the rest of us can look for them. They’ve probably taken a wrong turn or something, that’s all. I’m sure they’re fine.’

They walked towards Bluebell Cottage, and as her mum opened the door, Amelia said, ‘We’ll find them; try not worry.’

‘Of course we will.’ Her mum touched her cheek gently. ‘I’m overtired, that’s all.’

But as Amelia hurried back to where her dad and Finn were waiting, she felt sure it was more than that. She’d seen the looks her mum gave Jackson, the way her hands curled into fists earlier.