‘Well, good luck. Some of the boxes have flat-pack furniture in them for the treatment rooms. That huge box is a professional massage table, so we can leave that for Pierce to sort out. But if you can trolley it across to the number one treatment room in the cottage, Taylor and Bastien, I’m sure he’d be very grateful and it would be one less box in here.’

‘No sweat.’ Taylor looks in Bastien’s direction and he nods, flexing his muscles to make me laugh.

‘You’re all going to feel like you’ve had a good workout at the gym by the time this lot is sorted,’ I throw over my shoulder.

I love painting when it’s still daylight outside. Sometimes the artificial light at night exaggerates the colours on the palette. The bulbs in the studio are supposed to mimic natural daylight, but it’s not the same. Until I picked up a brush, I had no idea of the difference it can make.

The final canvas I’ve decided to paint in preparation for the exhibition, is an abstract piece. Crazy, because it’s my first attempt at just letting go and following my instincts.

Nico has shown me how to prepare my own canvases now, and is going to teach me how to stretch them, once they’re finished. But when it comes to painting, it’s not like taking a class, as he doesn’t believe that an artist should be influenced by someone else’s techniques. So, he simply observes me from time to time. We might end up having a whole conversation based around the angle at which a brush is held to build a lip on the outer edge of each stroke. It has the effect of creating its own natural little shadow and discovering that was quite a revelation for me.

Tackling an abstract painting simply reflects the fact that I’m still discovering who I am, when it comes to finding my preferred style. So today, I’m going to be working with cartridge paper and watercolours, because Nico said that’s the best way to experiment. He asked me whether colour was going to be my lead, or shape, or texture? Or all three? I’d looked at him as blankly as the sheet in front of me is right now. It’s an exciting moment, for all that, and I don’t intend to hesitate.

Time passes quickly. I have no idea how late it is, but it’s already twilight outside when there’s a knock on the studio door. I turn in surprise, calling out ‘Come in’ and wonder who it can be.

Dee-Dee pops her head around the door. ‘Sorry to bother you, Fern, but you have some visitors.’

I stare at her, wrinkling my brow as I wonder if it’s another delivery. ‘Visitors?’