‘Why the hell would she go to England? Do you think it’s because she wants to see me?’ I am asking myself the question almost as much as I’m pleading with David to answer it. I can hear him clanking about in cupboards and picture him flat-footing around the kitchen. Anna redecorated that room not long before she died – she was so proud of it.

‘Did you tip her off?’ I demand. ‘Did you write to Bonnie and warn her that I was coming?’

David sighs.

‘Why would I do that, Genie? I want you to meet each other.’

There’s another pause as the water finishes boiling, and David clears his throat.

‘Even if I had, that wouldn’t explain why she came here. Surely if she wanted to see you and knew you were on your way, then she’d just stay put.’

He’s right, of course, but I am not in the mood to admit that I might not be.

‘But do you think she’s in England looking for me, though?’ I say. ‘The timing could be a weird coincidence.’

‘I suppose it’s possible, darling,’ David allows. ‘But it could be for another reason entirely – perhaps she has other friends here.’

He pauses then, as if something has occurred to him that he doesn’t want to share with me.

‘What were you going to say?’ I demand.

‘Nothing,’ he assures me. ‘I was just thinking out loud, poppet, that’s all. I honestly don’t know enough about Bonnie’s life to give you a decent answer, but if she does happen to turn up here looking for you, then of course you will be the first to know.’

‘What shall I do now, though?’ I lament, frustration making me collapse on to the bed. ‘Should I get a flight back? Or shall I wait? I just got here, though. Oh, I don’t know what to do.’

The tiredness that came over me in the little office at Koru Stables earlier returns like a sullen thump, and I feel suddenly so weary that I can barely lift my head off the pillow. In the weeks immediately after Anna’s death, I slept more than I ever had before. My unconscious state became my safe place, somewhere I could curl up and forget what had happened.

‘Who told you Bonnie was in England?’ David asks now, dragging me back to the present. ‘Someone at the stables?’

‘That’s the other thing,’ I tell him, fighting to keep my voice steady. ‘It turns out that I’m not Bonnie’s only child, just the only one she didn’t want to keep. She has another daughter, a girl called Tui. I saw her today.’

There’s a profound silence as David takes this in.

‘Oh, gosh. Are you sure?’ he asks. His voice sounds strange and constricted. ‘It’s definitely Bonnie’s child? Not her stepdaughter or something?’