‘Both.’ She opens her hands. ‘Their thinking has become more complex, even in the time they’ve been with me; they’re all very capable of quite abstract reasoning and questioning. They can be challenging at times.’

‘Is Izzy challenging?’ Melissa asks, praying her daughter hasn’t been rude.

‘She might query the lesson plan a little, why a particular goal, for whose benefit, that sort of thing, pushing the boundaries. She doesn’t always do what I ask, but that’s good in its way; a sign of maturity.’

‘A bit of a rule breaker then.’ Paul looks pleased. ‘Like her dad.’

Is that how you see yourself? Melissa stares across the table at her husband’s flushed face – a bit of a rule breaker?

‘On the other hand, they run down the garden after the sessions like a bunch of little kids.’ Eve laughs. ‘Eric’s hoping they’ll use his new playground, nearer the house.’ She glances at the swing and the slide, the wooden cabin; stark shapes in contrast to the distant softness of the trees just visible against the sky. ‘We’ll have to see.’

They all look down the garden then; the small figures of their children are silhouetted against the embers of the bonfire as if on a darkened stage. The scene recalls another: a group of performers at Glyndebourne with Paul’s firm last year – Faustus. As the singers had gathered at the glowing entrance to hell, the music swelled and a sense of danger had billowed into the darkness. Ash stirs, the drool from his mouth seeps into Melissa’s top. The barbecue has gone out; the evening feels colder. The candles are half burnt down. She shivers, resisting the urge to get up and call the children back into their lit circle.

Across the table, Martin is shaking his head regretfully. ‘… no specific plans. A summer of boredom stretches ahead. How about you, Paul?’ He looks across the table to where Paul is sitting a little slumped now, an empty glass in his hands.

‘We usually opt for a villa.’ Paul waves the stub of his cigar. ‘We might try southern Italy this summer. Izzy likes her water sports. I’ll probably hire a boat.’

Izzy’s turned thirteen; she’s made all these new friends. She might not want to spend her holidays with her parents any more, there could be battles ahead. Melissa’s heart sinks.