‘Oh dear, you really are in a bit of a state. Sit up a minute and let me get a proper look at you.’

He did as he was told and I gave him a quick check to see if anything was sprained or broken.

‘Come on,’ I said. ‘Let’s get you sorted out.’

I took him into our bathroom and washed some of the dirt off with a flannel, cleaning his cuts and scratches and dabbing on antiseptic with my fingertips. His T-shirt was beyond saving.

He stood, blank-faced and silent, while I worked.

‘Are you going to tell me how you got these cuts?’

‘Told you,’ he said, eyes downcast. ‘Fell over.’

‘Were you with Jake and Ethan?’

He hesitated. Then, ‘They made me promise not to tell.’

‘Who?’

His voice so quiet it was almost inaudible, he said, ‘The boys.’

‘And where are they now?’

‘Dunno.’

‘Aren’t you all friends?’

‘They said I couldn’t play with them any more, and they went off somewhere.’

‘They left you here on your own?’

He nodded miserably, the sharp tang of Savlon making him wrinkle his nose.

I sat him down on the edge of the bathtub.

‘What happened, Daniel?’

‘When I fell down I was a bit upset, so Ethan got cross and then he said him and Jake were going out somewhere and I thought they meant they were just going outside, like hide-and-seek or something, so I went out to look for them in the garden but I couldn’t find them. I looked for ages but I couldn’t find them and I thought maybe they’d gone out in one of the cars. I looked everywhere.’ His voice dropped. ‘But I couldn’t find anyone.’

‘What about Alistair?’

‘Didn’t know where he was.’

My worry turned to anger.

‘You couldn’t find him either?’

‘No. I ran around everywhere but it was like everyone had just left without me and I was all on my own and everyone had forgotten about me. I got scared then, so I went to my room and looked out of the window for someone to come back. Then I read my book. I was a bit sad.’

‘Alistair was supposed to be here, looking after you.’

He gave a little nod but still wouldn’t look at me.

‘I thought . . .’ He tailed off, his voice growing quieter still.

‘What did you think, darling?’

‘I thought everyone had gone home without me. Back to England. Just left me here on my own in the holiday house and I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. Like what happens to Kevin in Home Alone, but kind of the other way around.’

I smiled and shook my head. Home Alone was one of his favourite films.

‘You silly sausage! We’d never leave you all alone. I would never leave you.’

‘Are you cross, Mummy?’