‘Lexi was brave, that’s true—I’m very proud of her. And Ryan. But I didn’t do anything.’ Embarrassed by the fuss, desperate to be on her own, Jenna eased herself away from the woman, but people still crowded around her.

‘Can’t believe you went down that rope—’

‘Lexi climbed down without any help—’

‘Anyone who says today’s teenagers are a waste of space has never met a Glenmore teenager—’

‘Devil’s Jaws—’

‘Been more deaths there than any other part of Glenmore—’

Jenna lifted a hand to her throbbing head. ‘Maybe I’d rather not hear that part,’ she said weakly, remembering with horrifying clarity the moment when she’d stepped over the edge of the cliff. ‘I’m just so pleased Matt’s going to be all right. Dr McKinley rang yesterday and the hospital said surgery went well.’ After a summer on Glenmore she knew better than to bother worrying about patient confidentiality. If she didn’t tell them what was going on they’d find out another way, and the information would be less reliable. ‘I’m just sorry I’m late this morning. If everyone could be patient…’

‘Don’t give it a thought.’ Kate Green, who ran the gift shop on the quay, waved a hand. ‘Won’t kill any of us to wait. Anything we can do to help? We’re sorting out a rota to make food for Matt’s family when they’re back from the mainland. They won’t want to be fussing with things like that.’

Jenna looked at them all—looked at their kind faces, which shone with their eagerness to support each other in times of crisis. It was impossible not to compare it to the surgery she’d worked at in London, where patients had complained bitterly if they were kept waiting more than ten minutes. In London everyone led parallel lives, she thought numbly. Here, lives were tangled together. People looked left and right instead of straight ahead. They noticed if things weren’t right with the person next to them. They helped.

Someone pushed something into her hand.

Jenna opened the bag and saw two freshly baked muffins.

‘My mum thought you might not have had time for breakfast. We made you these.’ The child was no more than seven years old, and for Jenna it was the final straw. Too emotionally fragile to cope with the volume of kindness, she burst into tears.

‘Oh, now…’ Clucking like a mother hen, Kate Green urged her towards the nearest chair.

‘Shock—that’s what it is. It was her lass who stayed with Matt. Saved him, she did. That’s a worry for any mother.’

‘Tired, I expect…’