If it hadn’t been for that rogue bra getting tangled up in the bedding, and the underwire melting so that it dug into her side, Bonnie may never have found the lump on her left breast. At first, she told herself that it must be nothing, then convinced herself that it would go away by itself. As the weeks and then months went by, however, the lump stubbornly remained where it was, and eventually, Bonnie could ignore it no longer.

‘You can get dressed again now.’

Dr Kenyon got up from the stool she had been perched on and made her way back to her chair. Bonnie watched from the curtained-off corner of the consultation room as the doctor tapped away at her computer keyboard, only to curse in irritation and bang the mouse against her desk.

‘This machine is even older than I am,’ she explained, to which Bonnie quipped back, ‘Not a day over twenty-five, then.’

Dr Kenyon, who had celebrated her fortieth birthday that summer, smiled amiably across at her patient.

‘I think we should perhaps test your eyes for you, too,’ she said. ‘While you’re here.’

Bonnie and the doctor knew each other well, the former having spent a lot of time in and out of appointments with Tui when she was still a child. They had spoken frankly about Bonnie’s entire medical history, which of course included her first pregnancy, and the fact that the doctor knew so much about Bonnie’s life had made approaching her about the lump less daunting. Dr Kenyon had been as brisk, frank and professional as she always was, and organised for a biopsy to be done at the earliest opportunity. The lump, meanwhile, had lurked uncomfortably like a thorn in Bonnie’s side, goading her. She had watched her mother succumb to breast cancer, and was terrified at the prospect of the same fate.

In true Bonnie Moon style, however, she had told no one about either her lump or her fears. Tui would not understand, and even if she did, it would only scare her. Kit was a friend, but not someone that Bonnie confided in about anything this personal, while Simon was now far too busy looking after his new family. She had handled things by herself before, and figured that she would handle this latest crisis, too. Bonnie had actually believed that she was doing a good job of remaining strong – and certainly she looked as if she was. Nobody would ever have guessed that something serious was troubling her.