Lily realized that this was the first time Henry and Victoria would have seen each other since the accident. And the last thing that Victoria had heard her say about him was that he was horrible. Suddenly all Lily wanted was for Victoria to see the Henry that she had seen in the last few weeks. The one who made her laugh, who helped shoulder her burdens, who had teased her out of her single-minded focus to embrace the moment – and the man who had not only allowed them to have the wedding at the estate, but had helped make it better.

To her surprise, Victoria walked straight to him and gave him a hug. Not as long and deep as the one they had shared, but much more than either she or Henry – judging by the look of slight shock in his eyes – had expected.

‘Henry. It’s good to see you,’ Victoria said with warmth.

‘You too, Victoria,’ replied Henry, still apparently startled by her greeting.

‘And this,’ she said, turning and reaching an arm out to her fiancé, ‘is Oliver Russell.’

Oliver reached an arm across the table and they shook hands. Lily directed Ollie and Victoria into chairs on one side and sat beside Henry on the other.

‘Do you guys want anything? Coffee? Tea? We’re a little late for breakfast, but I can rustle you something up, no problem.’

‘Oh my God, do you have any of those almond croissants left? I’d literally swim the ocean for one of those things,’ Victoria exclaimed.

Kate, who had been hovering by the counter, smiled as Victoria caught her eye. ‘Almond croissants and coffee coming right up.’

‘You’re a star, Kate.’

‘You guys can all come more often, you’re doing a-maz-ing things for my ego!’

‘Yeah, sorry, Victoria. Henry beat you to it and raised the stakes with the declaration that she was a goddess,’ Lily teased.

‘Oh, he did, did he?’ Victoria replied, eyeing Henry up.

Smiling, Henry shrugged. ‘But she is. Best coffee in the whole of Devon.’

‘You know it’s my coffee, right?’ Lily interjected, feeling just a smidge left out of the praise.

‘But it takes a steady hand to make that string of hearts in the milk,’ teased Victoria.

‘And who do you think taught her how to do that?’ demanded Lily.

‘And who would have milk in their coffee anyways?’ Henry said, outraged.

‘Sacrilegious,’ both Henry and Oliver intoned at the same time.

Kate was back in no time with a heap of almond croissants and four coffees. ‘Give me a shout if you need anything, or want to sing my praises more.’