Hours passed. With a mother like mine, I was used to being tossed aside, forgotten and uncared. But then lunchtime came and went and my humiliation and discomfort grew. If Michael loved me, how could he treat me like this? Leave me out here all day, forgotten?

Finally, Michael came trotting out of the house and opened the limo door.

‘Come with me, Lorna.’ He clicked his fingers at me, looking back at the house. ‘Come on.’

‘What’s going on, Michael? Why is Diane still here? Can’t you tell her to leave?’

‘I can’t bloody tell her to leave.’ Michael glanced back at the house again. ‘I told you. She’s losing it. Hurry up now, we need to get you into the house without her seeing. Unless you want to stay in the car all night.’

‘I’m not sneaking around—’

‘Yes, you bloody well are.’ Michael pushed a hurried hand through his hair. ‘Diane’s flipped out. She’d scratch you to bits if she saw you. Let’s just get you inside, up to your room.’

‘I’m not doing that, sneaking inside, hiding from your wife. Just tell her to leave.’

‘I never thought of you as a cruel person,’ said Michael, dropping his hand to my shoulder. ‘Come on. Diane is having a hard time. We don’t want to make it worse, right? Just help me out on this one. In a year’s time it’ll all be fine. But right now, she’s struggling. Listen, I’ll take you in the house and we’ll go right upstairs. Diane’s in the kitchen. She won’t see you. Sound okay?’

‘No. It sounds sneaky and awful.’

‘Lorna.’ Michael’s voice dropped to danger level. ‘Not today, okay? Don’t mess me around today. It’s been bad enough Diane turning up out of the blue. Would you just behave yourself? She’s my wife, Lorna.’ Michael gave me hard eyes. ‘My wife.’

I got the message. I was the interloper here, not her.

‘Do you still love her?’

Michael whipped round furiously. ‘DROP IT. You’re supposed to be a cool girl. Well, prove it.’ He grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the house. ‘Don’t make a sound. Not a sound.’

As Michael pulled me along, I looked over at that big, lonely house – the place that was supposed to be my new home. Diane was lady of this castle. I was the courtesan, sneaking in the back door.

Inside the house, there were dust sheets and building materials everywhere. It looked like someone was trying to construct three different houses: a glossy Italian marble Versace palace, a modern bachelor’s pad in graphite and a British stately home with antiques and oil paintings.

‘How long will Diane be here for?’ I whispered when we reached the first-floor landing.

‘Would you just be quiet?’

‘I was just asking—’