Which was why his work in the garden seemed pointless. It wouldn’t be his, and he doubted the new owners would allow Lily to maintain access to the place. But he couldn’t help himself. He’d cleared the four beds of weeds and replaced the netting over what he’d been able to salvage from the strawberries and the other fruit. Half of the stuff he couldn’t identify, but he carefully pruned the bay tree back to some kind of round ball-like shape, which he’d been surprisingly proud of.

He reached for the mug of coffee steaming in the soft summer air of the late afternoon and took a large mouthful. He still wasn’t sleeping properly and was almost sure that he wouldn’t until he was finally rid of the place.

He heard the crunch of gravel as footsteps approached the garden and turned as if he’d been waiting for her. Perhaps he had.

Lily stood, framed by the doorway, looking stunning. Her hair was down again, falling around her shoulders in waves. She wore low-heeled boots, her legs were encased in jeans that clung lovingly and a loose pale pink T was half tucked into the waist, covered by a long, calf-length olive green cardigan.

‘Hi,’ she said gently, her eyes not on him but scanning the garden.

‘Hi,’ he replied lamely. She raised her eyebrows and he shrugged in response.

‘I think you missed a bit,’ she observed ruefully.

‘I think I missed a whole lot of things.’

She exhaled, but in relief or exhaustion, he couldn’t tell.

‘I brought you something,’ she said, swinging the bags in each of her hands.

‘Please tell me that’s food. Please,’ he begged as his stomach rumbled angrily. He’d run through what little there had been in the fridge and had not yet had the wherewithal or the energy to attack the freezer.

Lily laughed and blushed prettily. ‘Just something I threw together.’

‘Yeah, right.’

‘I considered you worth about half an hour of prep.’

He levelled her with a direct gaze. ‘I’m not sure that I deserved that much, Lily.’

‘Good thing it wasn’t up to you then, or you’d be dining on a boiled egg.’

Henry couldn’t help but smile. ‘I’d have taken it anyway.’

‘I …’ She hesitated. ‘I also brought you something else.’

He couldn’t help it. He closed the distance between them, wanting to be closer to her, needing to be. What was it about her that chased away the darkness?

She reached for her back pocket and produced the smallest key he’d ever seen. It was perhaps less than an inch long.

‘What does that open?’ he asked, curiously staring at the small rusty key in the palm of her hand.

Lily seemed to wince slightly. ‘Quite possibly a bit of hurt. But hopefully also a bit of healing.’