‘They’re what I need to do medicine at uni.’

‘Still got your heart set on medical school?’

‘Yes.’

‘If anyone can do it, you can. You’ll make a brilliant doctor.’

Lucy smiled, shyly.

‘Long way to go, yet.’

Izzy pulled a chair over and sat down next to Lucy at the grand piano, leaning in close. She had known this child since she was born, first held her when she was a week old, a perfect tiny new person with a full head of startlingly white-blonde hair. She had seen her grow up and every time she had returned from working abroad Lucy had been a little bit smarter, a little bit taller. She had reached Izzy’s height – five feet two in her bare feet – at the age of twelve and had grown much taller since then. She’d known this girl all her life, and she felt a strong urge to reconnect with her properly now she was back. To re-establish their relationship.

She wanted to be close to her and Daniel again, to be part of their inner circle.

‘Are you really all right, Lucy?’

‘Hmm.’

‘You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I’m a neutral.’ Izzy smiled. ‘I’m like Switzerland, not on anyone’s side. If you can’t talk to your mum or dad about it, you can talk to me instead. I can just listen and it doesn’t have to go any further.’

Lucy tucked a strand of her long blonde hair behind her ear.

‘It’s just . . . I don’t know, it’s probably nothing.’

‘If it’s getting you down, it’s not nothing. Not if it’s ruining your holiday, bothering you that much. Don’t you think?’

‘I suppose so.’

‘I don’t like seeing you unhappy, Lucy.’

She let this hang there for a moment, knowing that the teenager would fill the silence. And a moment later, she did.

‘Mum and Dad are . . . Something weird is going on between them.’

Izzy sat up straighter, frowning.

‘Weird how, exactly?’

It was a disturbing echo of Kate’s comments at the Gorges D’Héric the day before, her concerns about Sean. There were messages.

‘I don’t know,’ Lucy said quietly. ‘They’re being strange around each other. I’ve never seen them like this before. Dad reckons I don’t notice anything, but I do, I pick up on a lot of stuff. You must have noticed it too?’

‘Yes.’ Izzy nodded. ‘I have.’

‘So what do you think’s going on?’

Izzy considered her options, searching for the one that was least painful. Tell Lucy about her father messaging another woman? About her mother’s suspicions? Her doubts about Sean? Tell her the truth?

But is it really my place to do that?