I close my eyes, feeling his distress. ‘Maybe they can’t bear to part with it because it’s a prized possession. Doesn’t that mean it – and you – are safe, Nico? If they were going to sell it, to have someone eager to purchase it knocking on their door would surely mean they’d have named a price. Don’t see this as bad news; it’s just not quite the result you were hoping for.’

He rolls on his side and I turn in to face him. We’re no more than two feet apart, close enough to make eye contact now, even in the gloom.

‘Things don’t always work out as we want them to, do they?’ he murmurs. ‘Did you love your husband from day one?’

It’s a strange question to ask, but I guess he’s just curious.

‘Yes,’ I admit, ‘with all my heart. People are cynical about instant attraction, or at least say it won’t last when two young people fall so madly in love. But it can if you nurture it and don’t take each other for granted.’

Nico is studying my face. ‘But he let you go for a whole year. That’s a big risk; why take it?’

It’s so hard to explain to someone else because most people won’t understand. You have to live our life to comprehend how we got to this place we’re at right now.

‘It was a bigger risk to look back in years to come and wonder “what if?” Or feel resentful about the things we didn’t get to do. Neither of us wanted that. We needed to know for sure whether we were strong enough to get through another big change in our lives that would take us in a new direction. I didn’t go into this willingly, but I’ve learnt so much about myself. I will freely admit now that, as tough as it’s been, it has been worth it. I had no idea my creative side had been stifled and was clamouring to get out.’ I can hear the optimism in my own voice as I speak.

Nico adjusts his position, moving his arm up and sliding it beneath his head so he can see me better. I do the same. I can feel his breath on my face and as I breathe in there’s a note of citrus from his aftershave that seems to wrap itself comfortingly around me.

‘I suspect that because you’ve always put everyone else before yourself, Fern, there never was time for you. You’ve changed so much since that first day you arrived here. Nervous, uncertain and so obviously outside of your comfort zone. What if when you go back it no longer feels like home? Would you come back here and be a part of this going forward?’