I headed back up the hill, where Jennifer, Izzy, Russ and Sean now made a semi-circle of concerned adults around the stricken Jake, lying on his side in the recovery position.

‘I don’t think Ethan’s as bad as . . .’ I indicated his older brother. ‘Nothing a good sleep and a couple of paracetamol won’t sort out.’

No one spoke. I was suddenly aware of a strange, charged atmosphere, a weird tension between the two women.

Jennifer nodded at me and gave a tight smile before returning her attention to Izzy.

‘It just seems to have taken an awfully long time for you to get back here, that’s all I’m saying.’

The note of accusation in her voice was unmistakeable.

Izzy put her hands on her hips, frowned.

‘A simple “thank you” would suffice, you know.’

‘Thank you,’ Jennifer said grudgingly. ‘But what were you doing all that time?’

‘What are you suggesting? What do you think we were doing?’ Izzy said. ‘We were walking back up from the gorge, the three of us. I tried calling to let you know but the phone signal kept dropping out.’

‘It’s not a half-hour walk, though.’

‘Have you seen the state of him? He’s absolutely plastered. And every time we stopped for him to be sick, he wanted to have a chat.’

Jennifer looked up sharply. ‘A chat? With you?’

‘Yes. With me.’

‘About what?’

‘All kinds of stuff. Drunken stream of consciousness, mostly.’

‘Lots of garbage, most likely.’

‘Some.’

‘Probably best ignored.’

Izzy gave her a strange look – something like pity, or concern, or disappointment – just for a second. And then it was gone.

‘Probably,’ she said.

Sean put his hand on Izzy’s arm. ‘The most important thing is, Izzy found them and we’ve got them back now, right? That’s the main thing. How about we get these boys inside now?’

Seeing Sean touch her so casually, so easily, I felt a sharp pang of jealousy. Did it even make sense that I was jealous, when this was my own husband? Did anything make sense any more? Maybe not jealousy then. Maybe anger. How quick you are to defend her, to be on her side, to touch her skin. Even in front of me. Even when I’m standing right here next to you both. How can you be so brazen about it, so obvious? How did you think I wouldn’t find out, sooner or later?

Alistair reappeared, with two pint glasses full of water.

‘Here we go,’ he said breezily, handing the glasses to Jennifer. ‘Now, who’s going to help me carry the patient indoors?’

Russ held a hand up, lighting another cigarette.

‘Not me, pal, I’ve only just got past shitty nappies. I don’t do puke-stained teenagers, not yet.’

Alistair turned to my husband, as if nothing untoward had happened between them this evening.

‘Sean? Could you lend a hand?’