Apart from Gordon, Simon was the only other person who knew of the tragedy in Shelly’s life. Close friend and dive enthusiasts, Simon and Shelly had met bi-monthly since the accident, for the past twenty years. They always discussed David, of course. It was David who’d brought Simon and Shelly together.

‘Happy to give you a diving reference, Shelly,’ Simon said brightly. ‘What about the Lusitania team – would you like me to have a word, what can you offer to make it worth their while?’ he continued.

Her excitement bubbled up, even Simon realised there was a slight chance. ‘If I get on the dive, I’ll go up to their club and do a talk on the Britannic, how’s that?’

‘Sounds great, what about us, can we get some unique video footage for our website, or photos, if we supply the gizmo?’

‘You know I’ll do anything for you, Simon.’

‘Can I ask, what made you choose the Britannic? I don’t remember you mentioning it before.’

‘It’s amazing, Simon, listen to this, my great-grandmother was on the Britannic when it went down. Well, not exactly on the ship . . . she got to a lifeboat.’

‘Blimey, that’s incredible!’

‘I found a box of cassettes where she’d recorded her life story. Honestly, I was blown away! It’s clear she blames herself for the sinking. She survived and when she was in her nineties, she recorded the whole story. I haven’t heard it all yet, in fact I’m about to play another tape. Meanwhile, thanks. I owe you, Simon. I’ll see you next month, as usual, of course.’

*

Once Shelly had her dive application prepared, she made travel arrangements for Kea. Peak season on such a small island could be a problem, so she would book her accommodation ASAP.

She had learned so much, researching most evenings since her return from Greece. Now, she was eager to take another look at the contents. She slipped her hands into her pocket and stood, watching the cassette. Her fingertips touched DJ’s letter. With a sigh so heavy it seemed her heart deflated a little she pressed the off button.

It was no good, she had to deal with the letter before she could concentrate on everything else. Besides, what harm could it do to meet DJ, just the once? He could be revengeful, might want to get things off his chest that had festered there for years. How could she know? He might have been holding a grudge since that dreadful day when she walked away from him. The awful thing was, she had to admit, although she hadn’t seen DJ for nineteen years, and here was the truth, she knew she still loved him. She knew that for sure.

So where did that leave her and Harry? There was such a distance between them. And then there was her father.