‘It might well have had a bearing on their actions,’ he said softly. ‘If they thought you were heading for trouble then surely it would have been remiss of them not to step in.’

‘I suppose,’ I conceded.

I could appreciate that Beamish was trying to make a reunion sound like the easiest thing in the world, but he didn’t know the full story. If he knew everything, he wouldn’t even be suggesting it.

After the crisis I had moved out of home and into the hotel and miraculously, thanks to Dolly and her gentle advice and words of wisdom, our relationship had just about survived. Had it not been for my friend’s subtle coaxing I was certain I would have snipped that fragile thread which attached me to my parents the day I moved out.

However, for a while and with Dolly’s help, things were bearable. With the benefit of time, I could almost understand why they had done what they did, even if I couldn’t come to terms with the outcome. There had even been a time when I believed that a proper reconciliation might be possible, but then I started seeing Jonathan and things went downhill almost from the moment I told him what had happened to make me leave home.

In the end, I had to accept that my parents and I would be better apart and made Jonathan go and tell them what I couldn’t bring myself to say. He returned with a response so shocking that it blew my world apart. I had begged Dolly never to mention them again and she had kept her word until the move to Abu Dhabi was thrown into the mix.

Beamish looked poised to say something else, but I cut him off.

‘It really is all much more complicated than you can possibly know,’ I said quickly, thinking of how Jonathan had struggled to tell me what my parents had said. ‘Do you mind if we change the subject?’

‘I’m sorry, Hattie,’ Beamish frowned. ‘I didn’t mean to upset you.’

‘I know.’

‘But please,’ he said urgently, this time his hand reaching out for mine, ‘please don’t let past grievances mess up your future happiness.’

I squeezed his hand and nodded as I realised that I had found it surprisingly easy to talk to the man I barely knew sitting opposite me. It felt like he was fast becoming a firm new friend.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7