‘Bon always says that the longer you wait after a fall, the harder it is to get back on. If you’re worried about that, I can come with you. I’ll even lead you, if you like.’

‘I’m not scared,’ I tell him truthfully, my tone now almost pleading. I don’t want to have to lie to him, but I can’t explain my reasons for not riding any more without telling him about the accident. And perhaps I could do that one day, but not on this day – not on the anniversary.

‘Well, then,’ he says. ‘That settles it. I’ll just tell Allie to—ALLIE!’

‘No, don’t!’ I implore, but Allie is already on her way over.

When Kit explains his plan, she turns to me, head cocked in enquiry, and I shake my own, trying to convey through expression alone how much I need her not to push me. Miraculously, it works, because a moment later she says to Kit, ‘You heard the poor girl – she said no and she means no. Stop being a bully.’

‘Hey, I’m not bullying anyone!’

‘Listen,’ I say, my hands raised in an attempt to defuse, ‘it’s OK. Honestly, Kit, it’s really generous of you to offer, but I haven’t got any of the right clothes or anything with me and—’

‘You can borrow some of Allie’s.’

This man is not one to be easily deterred.

‘No.’ This time I make sure that I’m being firm. ‘But thank you.’

Allie folds her arms and looks at each of us in turn. She really does look nice today in her dress, and she’s curled her hair, too. All I did was scrape my ridiculously long locks into a bun and apply a token amount of make-up. I have caught so much of the sun now that I don’t need any foundation, and there’s little point bothering with perfume when you are going to be surrounded by horses and all their associated aromas.

‘Just think of your fear as a plaster,’ Kit says now, and I could swear that Allie rolls her eyes. ‘The faster you rip it off, the less it hurts – getting back on a horse is the same thing.’

‘It’s really not, you dickhead,’ Allie chides. Then, addressing me, ‘Kit has only been on a horse once in his life, so he’s talking out of his backside.’

‘I’m just saying,’ he protests noisily, ‘that you can’t go through life being cautious all the time. If you fell over as a kid and never dared walk again, then where would you be?’

‘I didn’t fall off,’ I can’t help but argue. ‘That’s not the reason I don’t ride any more.’