When Cyrus joined her, the strains from his violin filled the room and Flors was once again transported back to a time in their home in Brixton, before their terrible secret was known even to them and they’d played this waltz together, and had dreamed of staging a concert. So much had happened since then. So many lives torn apart, but also twenty years of happiness as they’d built their vineyard together, with Ella and Arnie, and built their family, too. Sighing, she suddenly knew the waltz wasn’t the right music for now and, without warning, changed it to ‘My Old Man Said Follow the Van’.

‘What? Flors?’

‘Ha! Remember playing in that cockney pub for a few pennies?’ Laughing, she mimicked the Londoners’ way of singing the song: ‘My old man said, “Foller the van, and don’t dilly-dally on the way.” Off went the van wiv me ’ome packed in it. I walked be’ind wiv me old cock linnet.’

She could go no further as they collapsed in laughter.

‘Ella, darling, I love you. I love how you’ve helped everyone, and how that has helped you. You have filled my mind these last three years; no matter what I had to do, I did it with you in mind – and our future, and our family’s. And to find you happy and coping means the world,’ Arnie said.

‘I know. Terrible things happened. Awful, disgusting things, and terrifying ones, too. I was broken when I first came home, but being here with Betsy and Susan, and knowing their pain and that of Rosie, I felt I was sent here to help them, not to dwell on my own troubles. It is them who got me through.’

‘We’re lucky. There’s so many broken men, especially those coming back from Japanese prisoner-or-war camps, like Billy. How can we help him, Ella? It’s breaking Betsy’s heart to see her son as he is.’

‘Can you and Paulo get Billy to talk? I know Angus and Roderick have tried, but they are too close to Billy and he can reject them, knowing they won’t ever stop loving him.’

‘We’ll try, but I think you would be the best person. You have a way of helping people to get better – it is your vocation. Why don’t we go for a walk up to the top of the cliff? I saw Billy go that way. He goes there most days.’

The September air still held a lot of warmth, though a slight breeze from the sea played with Ella’s hair as they climbed the steps to the wooden bridge straddling the ravine that plunged to the sea below. Once over the bridge, they were able to hold hands again. When the ruins of Dunskey Castle came into view, they saw Billy sitting on a rock staring out to sea. Arnie called out to him.