‘Of course we are,’ Liam replies, and we all burst out laughing.

Partings are tough. But what this precious visit allowed me to see is that Owen and Hannah don’t need their big sister as much as they did in the past and it’s time to recognise that fact. They are living their own lives and doing a good job of it; and, yes, we all miss each other like crazy, but when we get together, it’s like we’ve never been apart. The break has allowed me to reset my thinking, though, and I wonder if that’s why Mum and Dad didn’t really have much to say when Aiden and I told them about our plans.

Just then, the door to the studio opens and one look at Nico’s face tells me it isn’t good news.

‘I’ve just had confirmation from my agent, Fern. Negotiations for the purchase of the final painting have drawn to a halt. The last email said that the owner does not wish to proceed with the sale. No reason was given and, stupidly, I’d convinced myself that it would all be over very soon. It’s hard to accept.’

My left hand instinctively flies up to my face, covering my mouth. ‘Oh, Nico, I’m devastated on your behalf! You were so close to freeing yourself from the worry.’

Stepping closer to him, his pain seems to radiate outwards from his core. It’s a tough blow to accept there is nothing more he can do.

‘My agent’s hands are now tied. He has no choice other than to wait and see what happens, and whether in the fullness of time they will approach him to start negotiations again.’

I have no words I can offer.

We work through into the early hours and I know that Nico’s mind is as full of conflicting emotions as my own. It’s not my place to console him in the way that I instinctively feel he wants me to. The closer to him I get, the more I’m pulled in and there’s a line I simply cannot cross. But whatever this connection is that we share, it doesn’t always seem to require words. Just being in the same room is a form of comfort. Can silence, too, be deemed an act of betrayal if it’s meaningful?

I stay until I simply can’t lift the brush any longer and leave Nico calmer, more accepting of something he cannot change.

21

A Surprising Turn of Events

‘Fern, there’s something I’ve been meaning to say to you. Well, a couple of somethings really. Do you have five minutes to take a little stroll? I know it’s rather cold this morning, but I want to say this where I know I can talk without being overhead.’