Tor is curious. ‘Did you only ever want Jamie? You weren’t tempted to have more kids?’

‘I wanted to, but there was a complication and I had to have an operation after Jamie was born. I thought briefly about adopting, but I was so in love with my cherubic child.’ She sighs. ‘He was my everything. He was always more than enough. I wish I’d told him that, though. I think he always felt that he was trying to live up to being several children.’

Tor smiles gently.

‘But nobody tells you how to be a parent,’ Maddy says. ‘It comes as a massive shock and you have to wing it. Literally. I was making it up as I went along. And life is going by so fast and you have to make snap decisions. And by the time you realise you’ve said something or done something wrong, it’s too late to fix it. And the funny thing is that now I’m older, I realise how easy it is to mess up. And how my mother messed up too. How she criticised me once about my grades in public. And I never forgot it. It was one of those pivotal moments and she probably didn’t even notice it happening, but it shaped who I am.’

‘I guess I know what you mean. I can’t pick a moment,’ Tor says, ‘but I just have always felt my parents love Alice more.’

‘Well, I bet that’s not true.’

‘No,’ Tor says, with a shrug. ‘They prefer Alice.’

‘Has it ever occurred to you that your mum probably feels that Alice needs more attention, because Alice needs her, and you don’t. Because you’re strong?’ Maddy asks.

‘But I’m not.’

‘Err, excuse me, but yes you are,’ Maddy says. Tor is warmed by her support.

‘I don’t know. It’s just … Alice has always had all their focus. Maybe it was something to do with the fact that she was really ill when we were born.’

‘Well, then, that makes perfect sense. I can’t imagine having two babies at the same time. But one of them being sick must have been terrifying. What if she’d lost your twin?’

Tor feels an unexpected surge of affection for her twin. Maddy’s right. She can’t imagine life without Alice. Maybe it won’t really be so bad telling her parents and Alice about her and Lotte. She knows they love her, so surely they’ll come to accept her and Lotte? And, even if they don’t, she has people around her who will. She resolves that she’ll fix it at Easter. She’ll find a way to move forward.

It’s lovely being outside by the fire bowl and Tor feels so much better for talking to Maddy. Claire comes back with foils in her hair and they chat for a while and eat a pizza Lotte heats up from the freezer.

Lotte is excited about the new look she has planned for Claire, who pulls a worried look at Tor and Maddy.