Robyn was taking that as a pat on the back, a sign that she was getting through this okay. Yes, Daisy and Sam still missed John being home; that was understandable. She’d never tell him as much, but she missed him too, every now and then – the companionship of marriage, at least. Still, her world had expanded in other areas, which felt like compensation. She’d been out for drinks with Beth Broadwood and some of the other mums from school, for instance, and they’d had a really great laugh. Plus Victoria, her boss, had talked her into joining the Divorcee Club, which was apparently a hand-picked selection of excellent women who were always up for a night out. Or a Saturday brunch, if the kids were with their dads and the weekend was looming emptily ahead. Or, hell, just a coffee sometimes, if anyone needed a friend to talk to. ‘Count me in,’ Robyn had told Victoria. ‘To all of it.’

As well as that, she had realized that splitting up with your husband did not have to mean being shunned by his family, as she’d dreaded – once a Mortimer, always a Mortimer, Jeanie had assured her. Both Jeanie and Paula had been brilliant in terms of childcare and making sure Robyn and the children were still invited along to things, and other family kindnesses. Also, she, Paula and Bunny had started going jogging together every week, and Daisy was wildly excited about being a bridesmaid for Bunny and Dave, along with Bunny’s niece Chloe. You could say Robyn had lost a set of in-laws and gained some friends instead.

‘Will you excuse me a mo,’ she said to John, noticing Bunny across the room now and giving her a little wave. Robyn had received a text from her last night, saying she’d passed the final part of her personal-trainer course, and she wanted to go and congratulate her with a hug, as well as book herself in as a client. And why not? Family had to stick together, in Robyn’s opinion. ‘Talk to you soon,’ she said, already walking away. Then she smiled and hurried over to her sister-in-law. ‘Hey there, you qualified fitness guru, you,’ she called out. ‘What brilliant news – well done!’

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Two

Frankie was enjoying herself hugely. So this was what it felt like to belong to a big, friendly family, with siblings and cousins and partners, she thought repeatedly, as her new relatives came up and introduced themselves, as she smiled at the teasing and in-jokes that bounced between them. There was this whole network of shared memories, this history that connected them all, with every allegiance, spat and happiness a valid part of the chain. And now she was a link in it, too.