Thinking about it now, it was as if Peter’s death had unleashed something in Bella that was impossible to even identify. Yes, she had been controlling and difficult before then, but for the most part, he had felt happy with her. The good times still outweighed the bad back then. Now, she seemed to hate and despise him, but still wanted to keep him under her control. It didn’t make any sense. Why had Peter’s death triggered such a darkness within her?

He wiped his face with a towel and, satisfied that he had regained his composure, he joined Jo and Elodie in the kitchen.

Elodie was sitting up on the island while Jo displayed an array of different sweets she had bought, like a waiter proudly presenting the best dessert trolley. ‘Dat one!’ Elodie cried delightedly, jiggling up and down as she pointed to the packet of Percy Pigs, which were her favourite sweets.

Jo opened the bag and held one aloft. ‘Open wide … Percy’s heading for Elodie’s tummy!’ Then she pretended to fly the candy pig through the air, before popping it into Elodie’s waiting, open mouth.

Ben smiled and walked over to join them. He sat on a bar stool and watched contentedly as they demolished half the packet of sweets, Elodie giggling between mouthfuls, then moved on to discussing what they were going to cook for dinner. ‘Want bread!’ Elodie yelled, clearly sensing that she could demand just about anything from Jo and it would be granted.

‘Then bread you shall have!’ Jo replied. She scooped Elodie down off the island. ‘But first, shall we go and play with some toys I’ve found for you?’

Ben followed as Jo led Elodie into the adjoining sitting room, where there was an assortment of old toys spread out, some of which he vaguely remembered from his childhood. Elodie bumped down onto the rug and was immediately engrossed in playing with an old Fisher Price schoolhouse.

Ben put his arm around Jo’s frail shoulders as they watched her, already feeling the tension he had been bottling up for so long seeping out of his body. ‘Was that mine?’ he asked, nodding towards the schoolhouse.

Jo nodded. ‘You got it for your second birthday. You wanted a doll’s house but we weren’t very progressive back then, so I got you this instead. I knew there was a good reason for keeping it all, not that I could ever have thrown it out, anyway. Your dad thought I was mad.’

Ben smiled at the wistful fondness in her voice. ‘You must miss him.’

‘God, you’ve got no idea how much! It’s funny … he wasn’t a loud person but the house is so, so quiet without him.’

Ben nodded. ‘I bet.’

‘That’s why it’s such a tonic to have you here, Ben’ – she looked down at Elodie, still happily arranging the desks and chairs and sitting the little characters on them – ‘to have you both here. Obviously I love speaking to you on FaceTime but it’s not the same, is it?’