She let her good hand brush against his. His skin was warm, despite the temperatures that had her zipping up her coat. ‘I’ll be fine when I’ve had my pills.’ She found herself flinching as a tide of fellow motorists pushed their way through the doors and Isaac stepped to her left side to make himself into a human shield for her throbbing hand. She used the Ladies, just about able to manage alone because of the ski pants, emerging to find Isaac waiting in the corridor outside. They grabbed coffee and sandwiches and made their way back to the minibus, weaving through the constant coming-and-going traffic in the car park.

Carola was back before them, sitting by the window and sipping tea. She hopped out to let Lily back in between herself and Isaac, then got Lily’s codeine out of the pocket of her backpack and popped two pills to take with two paracetamol before relapsing into silence again. Isaac got Doggo out of his crate and escorted him to a nearby patch of grass. The rest of the party returned in twos and threes, chattering and laughing, the teenagers in a group, Neil and Franciszka bringing up the rear. Isaac put Doggo back in his crate. Neil called, ‘All present and correct,’ and soon they were rolling again.

Once she’d finished her coffee, the combination of a broken night and codeine caused Lily to sleep almost the whole way around the M25 and down the M20 to Folkestone Eurotunnel terminal. She blinked awake as Carola said her name softly. ‘We need the paperwork now, Lily.’ Then, with a return to something nearer her usual efficient persona, ‘Neil, can you collect the passports from everyone in the back and pass them forward, please?’

Passage onto the Eurotunnel le Shuttle was ridiculously easy, Lily thought, fumbling to give Isaac everything to pass to the woman in the border control kiosk. She hadn’t used le Shuttle since returning from Barcelona two years before. It felt like a lifetime ago. Isaac was relaxed, handing over ten passports (Doggo’s wasn’t required at this point) and answering questions about their trip. Despite all the anxieties of Saturday evening and running around like headless chickens on Sunday, and despite leaving home a little late, they’d made the train. They were directed to the single-deck taller-vehicles section and Isaac drove carefully on board. The train differed from passenger versions in that it had fewer windows, more lights and no seats.

They followed a people carrier with skis on top until they were directed to stop.

‘Handbrake on, engine off, windows open,’ Isaac said, suiting his deeds to his words.

‘I’d forgotten about opening the windows because of the pressure.’ Lily still felt fuddled by sleep and was glad that driving onto the train was easy compared with the long queues at check-in and security whenever she’d travelled by air.