‘Anyway, we already buried Ruby-May this morning, so we don’t need to have a party,’ Lotte says.

Amy bangs the frying pan into the sink and turns the cold tap on. A cloud of steam rises into the air.

‘Sweetheart, the funeral was a year ago, and you and Theo weren’t there. Remember? Mummy and Daddy went on their own. Today is the anniversary. Dad, please sit down.’ She picks up the knife again, wipes it on a cloth and starts hacking chunks off the cheese.

‘No, we buried her this morning. Well, we buried Pearl, because Ruby-May has gone away, but we put all the things she likes in the grave.’

‘Who has been buried?’ asks Dad.

‘What are you talking about?’ Amy says, and I have a sinking feeling.

‘It was Uncle Nick’s idea,’ says Theo. ‘You know, so Ammut won’t eat Ruby-May’s heart?’

Shit, shit, shit!

‘Er, that version is a little out of context,’ I say, as Amy, her face drained of colour, stabs the knife at me.

‘Are you telling me you buried Ruby-May’s doll? You buried Pearl? And you got the children to help you?’

‘It’s not like it—’

‘That is sick!’ says Chloe. ‘You really dug a grave and—’

‘What were you thinking, Nick?’ When I don’t reply, Amy starts screaming, ‘We asked you to do one thing. One thing! Is it too much for Matt and me to go out on the anniversary of our child’s death, without you screwing up our other kids in the time it takes to have a cappuccino? What is wrong with you?’

‘Don’t be mean to Nick. He was only trying to help,’ Bethany says, through a mouthful of lettuce leaves. ‘I did tell you to take the kids to the funeral. You can’t shield them from everything. They’ve got really strange ideas about death. And letting a trainee child psychologist practically raise them clearly isn’t helping.’

‘Stay the fuck out of this!’

I can’t remember the last time I heard my eldest sister swear, but it was probably when she was a teenager. I glance at Luca, wondering if he’ll back me up. Surely play-acting a funeral must be a good idea, according to some learned psychiatrist? Luca is staring at his plate, looking thoroughly despondent. I guess he’s not going to stand up to Bethany. Matt folds his arms and glares at me. So far, no one has eaten any lunch, apart from my middle sister; Lotte and Theo are nibbling on dry bread. I wonder if Dad is angry with me too, since I reminded him what a dreadful father he was. He hasn’t obeyed Amy’s orders and he’s now ambling towards the table, carrying something, and I close my eyes for a brief moment, because I know this day is going to get much worse.