Yawning and swinging my legs off the lounger, my phone clattered to the ground. I checked the screen for scratches, unlocked it and saw it was still open on Facebook, the tribute page Daniel had mentioned earlier. Dozens more heartbreaking comments had been added in the last hour. I closed the app and followed Ethan slowly up the steps to the balcony. Out of the shade it was still fiercely hot and almost unbearably humid – the air as thick as soup – but the wind was picking up at last. For the first time in days I saw clouds on the horizon, a thick, grey wall to the south, coming in off the sea. The forecast had been predicting a thunderstorm for the last few days. Maybe it was finally here.

I dropped my eyes to the garden and found myself looking at my husband, sitting on an ornate white stone bench at the far corner of the garden, partially hidden in the shade of an olive tree. Sitting next to him, so close their heads were almost touching, was Izzy.

They were both leaning forward with their heads down, talking fast, back and forth. I was too far away to hear what was being said but it was an animated conversation, Sean shaking his head repeatedly and Izzy nodding, emphatic, hands clasped together in front of her.

Look at them, thick as thieves. What are you two talking about? How you’re going to break the news? How you’re going to tell me?

There was a painful lump in my throat.

Or is it just a matter of when?

It looked as if Sean was disagreeing with her. Perhaps he wanted to wait until we were back home, but she didn’t want to wait any more? As I stared in fascinated horror, he looked up and spotted me. For a second our eyes locked and he stiffened, abruptly looking away as if he’d been seen somewhere he didn’t want to be. He jumped up from the bench and walked away from Izzy towards the stone staircase and the balcony where dinner had been laid out.

I went and took my place at the table next to Daniel.

Lucy appeared in a long-sleeved T-shirt, whey-faced, her hair unbrushed, and sat down without a word on the other side of me. She helped herself to a tall glass of lemonade from the jug in the middle of the table and then sat, sipping it, seemingly uninterested in any of the food. The big table was laid out with a huge array of cold meats, cheeses, fruit, pastries, freshly sliced baguettes and three pizzas as big as hubcaps, cheese still bubbling from the oven. Everyone – except Lucy – began to fill their plates in near-silence, punctuated only by Odette’s excited babble of post-beach chatter with Rowan.