Her smile faded as she took note that not only did Zinnia not smile back but that her eyes were emitting furious sparks. ‘I hope you’re happy now!’ she hissed. ‘You just had to go ahead, didn’t you? And fuck everyone else.’

‘Ooh!’ said Carola, giving Zinnia an affronted look. Carola disapproved of the F word.

Jaw dropping, Lily gazed at Zinnia in astonishment. ‘Pardon?’

Isaac was suddenly at her side. ‘Perhaps you should take this conversation somewhere quieter?’ he murmured, and swivelled his eyes in the direction of the back area.

‘Of course.’ Lily lifted the counter flap and motioned her sister through. Feeling oddly shaky, she marched her to the corner near the back door so they wouldn’t be on the route between kitchen and bar and folded her arms. ‘This better be good for you to come storming in here—’

‘Mum and Roma are splitting up.’ Zinnia planted her hands on hips, cheeks boiling red. ‘I’ve just come from their place. They’re having a trial separation and it’s Mum who’s packing. You knew your friggin’ mission to find your precious brothers was putting a strain on them. You knew it raked up old grievances but still you had to bulldoze on.’ She put on a falsetto voice that, presumably, was meant to be Lily. ‘Just let me find my brothers. Ooh, no, I daren’t actually tell the one I’ve found who I am. I’m just going to hang around him and make the family I grew up with feel as if they’re not enough for me.’ Her voice returned to her own, but hoarse with grief. ‘So now look what you’ve done!’

Nausea swept over Lily in a cold, sweaty wave. ‘Splitting up?’ she repeated through cardboard lips. ‘Mum and Patsie?’ She clapped a hand to her mouth in horror.

‘Oh, yes. And it’s your fault, you with your blind spot about your brothers, putting them – virtual strangers – ahead of your real family, the people who may not all happen to share your DNA but who have shared your life from the moment you were born, the people who loved you and protected you.’ Zinnia’s words hit Lily like bullets.

‘Zin, wait.’ Lily tried to catch her sister’s arm but Zinnia, having said her piece, was now heading off like a train back the way she’d come. ‘Zinnia!’ Lily cried in frustration, forcing her legs, wobbly with shock and grief, to carry her in her sister’s wake.

Zinnia, though, fuelled by her righteous anger, steamed through the open counter flap before she turned with a snarl. ‘You’ve smashed the fucking family, Lily.’ Then she grabbed the counter flap and crashed it down.