He stirred on the lounger, turning his head towards me.

I hit the phone’s power button and hurriedly laid it back down next to his hand, reaching for the suntan lotion.

‘You’re going to get burned if you’re not careful,’ I said.

He pushed his sunglasses up his forehead, blinking in the glare of the sun.

‘Eh? What were you doing, love?’

A flush of guilt rose to my cheeks: caught red-handed.

‘Just getting you the lotion.’ I handed it to him. ‘You should get some shade. Can you watch the kids? I’m going inside to cool down a bit and put my swimming costume on. Think I fancy a dip after all.’

He squirted suntan lotion into the palm of his hand and began rubbing it onto his shoulder.

‘OK. I’m about ready to go in myself.’

I grabbed my sandals and sarong, walking slowly, as casually as I could, to the stairs that led up to the balcony, checking my watch as I did so. It was only as I reached the top and glanced back that I saw Russ was now alone on his side of the pool.

Rowan was gone.

In the house, I went straight through to the kitchen, grabbed the key from the hook on the wall and went out into the main lounge area. The air conditioning was set high in here and the cool air against my skin was a blessed relief after the scorching heat of the sun outside. I wrapped the sarong around me and went to the bottom of the wide marble staircase.

I stood very still and listened.

Just the faint sound of squeals from the pool outside. Nothing nearer.

‘Rowan?’ I said into the silence.

No response. The estate and the villa were both huge, but there were a limited number of places where she could have got to in the last couple of minutes. I ran up the stairs to the master bedroom to find the big oak door ajar. I knocked, once.

‘Rowan?’

I pushed the door open and took a step inside.

Neat, orderly, exquisitely furnished. A faint smell of Rowan’s expensive perfume lingering in the air.

But empty. She wasn’t here.

Perhaps it wasn’t Jennifer, after all.

Where are you, Rowan? On your way to meet my husband, summoned by text?

How about I give you both a surprise, instead?