Are you sure? her mum had replied. There must be other routes.

Not without taking 2 days. Best to sit tight for a bit. Gerald knows – he encouraged me to stay.

I don’t like you being there, Han. I miss you. Get back here ASAP! :) Love Mum. Xx

The signs of affection that she’d dropped into the short message – I miss you, love, kisses, smiley face – were about as common as Hannah turning down a dinner invitation to her favourite restaurant. This was not usual Mum behaviour. But what could she say? Why are you suddenly being so affectionate? Is it your way of getting me to come home sooner and not dig into whatever it is you’re hiding from me?

Pushing the thought from her mind, she went to find breakfast.

As she was coming out of the restaurant, her stomach full of delicious sausage sandwich, she almost bumped into Daniel coming in the other direction. He put his hands on her shoulders to stop them colliding.

‘Hannah, just the woman. Did you sleep well?’

‘I did, thanks,’ she said. ‘Your rooms are well insulated against storms.’

‘They have to be, being so close to the sea.’

‘It’s not causing you too many problems?’ she asked, seeing the pensive look on his face.

‘We’ve had a few cancellations, and we’re constantly checking our contingencies in case the power goes out or there are supply issues. It’s not how I wanted to spend the run-up to Christmas, but the storm was anticipated, even if we didn’t realize how bad it would be. But that wasn’t what I wanted to talk to you about.’

‘Oh? Is anything wrong with my booking?’

‘No – that’s all fine. Charlie’s canvassed her food market regulars and around half of them can make it, despite the weather, so it’s still going ahead, would you believe? She asked me to tell you, as she knows you’re keen on the market.’

‘I am! I’d love to go.’

‘OK, well, be safe if you do. I think I’m going to stamp that on my forehead: Be Safe. You honestly don’t want to mess with weather like this.’

‘Understood. I promise I’ll be careful.’

As Daniel walked away, Hannah felt a swell of relief that she had an excuse to get out of the hotel rather than sneak around trying to avoid bumping into Noah.

‘Maybe I should have cancelled it,’ Charlie said, sliding her arms along the table and resting her forehead on them. ‘It’s pretty bloody miserable, isn’t it?’

Hannah looked out of the window. There was still a good collection of trucks and vans, making a marked impression on how cheerful the beach looked, but awnings were being battered, some shutters were half-closed to prevent the wind from destroying the food preparation areas inside, and the offerings significantly outnumbered visitors. ‘You did what you thought was right, and that’s all you could have done.’

‘The problem is everyone’s so nice, so when I asked them whether they were happy to come today, I’m sure some of them said yes just because they didn’t want to let me, or the other members of the market, down. I should have been bold and made the decision to cancel it.’