‘Ohhhhh, the celeriac cannelloni sounds amazing,’ groaned Zoe from inside her bathroom.

‘I want the Hawke’s honey-roasted nectarines now. Right now,’ demanded Malie.

‘Well, you’ll need to get them while you can,’ Lily said, unable to tear her mind away from Henry and the sale of the estate for long. Malie pulled a sympathetic face.

‘Is he still planning to sell the estate?’

‘Yep,’ Lily concluded, tight-lipped.

‘Oh honey. I’m so sorry,’ Zoe cut in.

‘But for now,’ Lily said, cutting through the dampener of the conversation, ‘we have bridesmaids’ dresses and bubbles, and we’re celebrating the fact that Victoria is going to get married in seven days. And you guys will be back. And it will all be beautiful!’

Lily was still laughing at the squeals of hysteria from her friends three hours later, long after Victoria and Ollie had left to return to London. No matter what the future may hold, the smile was on her face now. And that was what mattered.

Lily was in the restaurant, helping Vihaan with the dinner prep. She didn’t have to, but her flat had felt a little smaller and quieter after Victoria had left and she’d not really wanted to be alone. She’d been tempted to call Henry, but to what end? She didn’t have anything from the wedding as an excuse and was still struggling with the knowledge that he wasn’t sticking around. She’d made herself a promise after Alistair. No settling, no investing, no more time wasted on anything short of ‘The One’.

She vaguely heard the restaurant phone ringing from the kitchen, reminding her that she’d left her mobile on charge back up in her room. She drew the knife along the chopping board, shuffling the small cubes of onion into the frying pan and reached for the garlic as Kate appeared at the pass.

‘Lily, it’s for you. It’s Henry,’ she said, presenting her with the phone.

Putting the knife down and wiping her hands on the apron, she reached for the phone, noticing that Kate’s features had pulled into a grimace. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘No idea, but he’s freaking out,’ she whispered.

Gingerly Lily pulled the phone to her ear. ‘Henry?’

‘Oh thank God. I’ve been trying to reach you for an hour.’

‘I’ve been in the kitchen. What’s wrong?’

‘The Bacchus. I saw it today, when I took Oliver round the estate. I don’t know what to do.’

‘Clearly.’

‘Lily!’

‘Sorry. What’s wrong with the Bacchus?’ she asked, despite the fact that she was pretty sure that she knew exactly what was wrong with the grapes. She had tried to warn him.

‘It’s ready. For harvest. And I … Lily, what the hell do I do?’

‘Are you sure? It’s been a while since—’

‘I know what they look like when they’re ready, Lily.’