I managed to ease the lawnmower between the stumps and pushed it around the side of the house. When I turned the corner, I stopped dead.

Several grown-ups sat on the patio, drinking coffee. They turned to gaze at me. I recognised some of them from the wake. Various children swarmed around; the boy Arthur, no longer a waiter, was listlessly kicking a football around the garden.

Evan came out of the house, carrying a jug of fruit juice.

‘Prudence!’ he called out. ‘How nice to see you! Leave that and come over and join us. I’ve been descended upon. It’s such a pleasant surprise. Come and meet the family. Find her a chair, somebody.’

‘No, really,’ I stuttered. ‘Why don’t I leave the lawnmower here and collect it later?’

‘No, no, no, come and have a coffee. Or would you like some pomegranate juice? My daughter Gina made it with her NutriBullet. Apparently it juices everything, including the kitchen sink.’

Gina, it turned out, was the woman I’d just met. ‘I am a twat.’ She turned to the others. ‘I thought she was the gardener.’

Evan barked with laughter. ‘No, no, she’s an old friend of your mum’s. Don’t you recognise her? She came to the funeral.’

Somebody brought me a chair and Evan made the introductions.

‘This is my daughter Gina, her husband, Terry, their little girl, Lyra and that’s their son, Arthur. This is Lisa, my other daughter, and her partner, Hendrik, and those are their children Lola and Sam, and that’s little Anna-Belinda.’

My head spun. Somebody passed me a glass of juice.

‘Anna-Belinda’s going to show us her dance steps later,’ said Evan. ‘Aren’t you, love?’

Today Evan wore a powder-blue jumper. He looked like a golfing pro—white teeth, tanned skin, as wholesome as Perry Como. In the bosom of his family he seemed a different person. He was a stranger and I shouldn’t be here. How did I ever find him attractive?

‘Why don’t I just mow the lawn now?’ I said. ‘If you can show me where to plug it in. Then I can go home.’

‘Don’t be silly,’ said Gina. ‘It’ll make a horrible noise.’

‘Gina!’ said her husband.

‘We won’t be able to hear ourselves speak.’

Her husband pushed back his chair. ‘Look, I’ll do it. It’s a small lawn; it won’t take a moment.’

Gina glared at him. ‘Why do you think it’ll make less noise if you do it?’ She sighed. ‘Men, honestly. You’re such willy-wavers.’

‘Ssh!’ Her husband glanced at the children.

‘You do the same with the dishwasher.’

‘What?’

‘Rearranging the plates with a little sigh—’

‘Because you put them in wrong.’

‘Exactly! It’s all about power, isn’t it?’

Lisa’s coffee cup rattled as she put it in its saucer. ‘Look, Mum’s just died, can we calm down?’ Her voice trembled. ‘We’re here for Dad. Let’s think about him, shall we?’

‘Thank you, love,’ said Evan. ‘But, honestly, it’s fine. We’re all a bit raw. It’s understandable.’ He glanced at me. ‘Prudence knows what we’re talking about. She’s been going through this, too.’