Joanna looked at her daughter. Her cheeks were pinkly flushed. “You look good, Ruby. Healthy. Sam must be feeding you well.” Since what had happened, Ruby had moved back onto the boat with Sam to help him recover. The relationship had developed too: they were officially a couple, had been for almost three months.

“Yeah, right. He’s a terrible cook.” She looked away, hesitated.

“What is it?”

“I know what you’re going to say, okay? But just let me speak.”

“Go ahead.”

“Me and Sam, we’re thinking about adoption.”

“Whoa, Ruby. That’s a bit fast, isn’t it? You’ve only just moved in together.”

“See? I knew that’s what you’d say. We’ve known each other for years, you realize. Nine years, Jo. I think that’s long enough to know if it’s going to work.”

Jo moved to the hob, started throwing chopped vegetables into the wok. Ruby sat on a stool at the breakfast bar.

“But … children?” said Jo. “Do you really want to tie yourself down, at this stage in your career? Now that you’ve landed that soloist role?”

“It’s a local operatic society. Hardly the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.”

“No but it’s a step in the right direction. And the boat—it’s not exactly brilliant for kids, is it?”

Ruby waved a hand in the air, as if the words were a bad smell. “That’s just details. We can get a bigger boat. But we’ve got to do it soon because she’s two now. Time goes so quickly when they’re little, don’t you think?”

Joanna turned the hob off. She came around the counter and took Ruby’s hand, led her to the couch, made her sit.

“You’re talking about Leonie, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am. Who else would I be talking about?”

“Honey, I’m so sorry. I was going to tell you, but I never got the chance; it was never the right time.”

“What is it? What’s happened to her—is she alright?”

“She’s fine, sweetie. But she was placed for adoption a month ago. With the foster family she’s been with from the start. Turns out there might be a family connection: the mother said her great-aunt was from the Roane clan …” she trailed off when saw Ruby’s reaction. Ruby seemed so angry that Jo thought she might be about to hit her, and braced herself for the blow by closing her eyes. When she opened them again, Ruby was sobbing.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Jo felt that her heart might burst. The guilt, the powerlessness. In that moment she would have done anything to swap places with her daughter, to take some of that pain from her. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“I loved her so much.”