Stop it, Fern, I silently berate myself. It’s normal to get caught up in things and the day flies by, so imagine being on the road and constantly moving from one place to another. I know I’m being unfair, but even his texts are few and far between.

Today I’m in the studio and facing a blank canvas. Jittery with anticipation, I squeeze the first colours onto the palette, ready to begin mixing. It’s a thrill, that first brushstroke, but it’s also nerve-wracking. I have a pile of sketches from a session down by the lake and now that the new bench is in place, I want a permanent memory of it. Something I can glance up at every day when I’m at home and remember my time here, fondly.

I’ve experienced a lot of little flashbacks as I’ve stared out over the rippling waters; sometimes alone and other times in the company of people who have touched my heart in so many different ways. When I return home, there’s a little part of me that I will be leaving behind, because it doesn’t fit into my old life.

I fleetingly think of the portrait of Nico’s mystery woman and I understand that it isn’t just a tribute to his mother as I thought, but to womanhood. He longs to capture the beauty of a woman, in a setting that she loved. To him it’s a way of immortalising that special bond any mother has with her child; he saw her as an angel, the person who fought hard to keep them all together. Is that why he asked me to sit for him?

The sudden click of the door catch opening is a surprise, as Nico is in the day room with Pierce. They’re looking at options for further expansion. I know that Nico isn’t keen to convert the attic space in the château, so they are costing out a bespoke building in the courtyard which would add another eight double bedrooms with en suite facilities. We’re getting a lot of enquiries coming in for twin-bedded rooms and Pierce thinks it’s a worthwhile investment.

So, when I glance up and a total stranger is standing there, I’m caught off guard.

‘Fern?’ she asks, and when I nod my head, she walks towards me, smiling. ‘I’m Isabel. Nico said I would find you in here. Sorry to intrude, but my visit was a surprise. A little detour on my way to a gallery in Nice.’

So, this is the Marquesa de Casa Aytona. Nico’s Marquesa.