‘No. And it’s not spying, it’s twenty-first-century parenting.’

‘Yeah, right. Who else are you tracking with your little app?’

‘Just the kids.’

He hesitated. ‘No one else?’

Probably should have, I thought.

‘I told you, just Lucy and Daniel.’

‘Right.’

‘Why do you ask?’

‘Just wondering.’

I watched as the map zoomed in on our location – there was the village, and the road out, and the junction. The image of her phone appeared in the centre of the screen, about seventy-five metres to the south-west. I zoomed in further, then out, looked around me to get my bearings.

‘She’s in the garden, far end, where the gazebo is.’ I looked at Sean. ‘What’s she doing there?’

‘I’ll go and get her.’

He picked up his own mobile from the table, flicked on the torch app, and headed off. Jennifer followed him and I brought up the rear, down the stairs to the garden. External lights threw a soft glow over the infinity pool but the shadows deepened beyond the hedge and we needed the light from Sean’s phone to see where we were going.

I stopped and checked my phone again. Fifty metres.

As we came around the side of the villa, I could see little points of light at the far side of the garden. It was a stone gazebo with four deep-cushioned armchairs, built-in fans for the day and a gas burner for the evenings. The smells of cigarette smoke and white wine drifted in the warm evening air as we drew closer, and gradually I could make out the reclining shapes of three teenagers, slumped in armchairs.

Jennifer looked from Jake to Ethan and back again.

‘What are you doing out here?’

‘Nothing,’ Jake said.

‘Just chatting,’ Ethan said, a little too loudly.

‘About what?’

‘Stuff.’

I looked up, caught a glance between Sean and Jennifer, their faces shrouded in shadow. Just a glance, then it was gone.

Jennifer sniffed the air dramatically. ‘You’ve been smoking.’ A statement, not a question.

‘No.’

‘A bit late, isn’t it?’ Jennifer said. ‘Why don’t you come and chat inside?’

‘How’d you know we were here?’

She tapped her forehead. ‘Mother’s intuition.’

Jake said nothing, just gave a slow, lazy smile. He stood, wobbled slightly, and leaned on one of the stone uprights. Jennifer moved closer, as if to catch him.

‘Have you been drinking alcohol?’

Jake nodded, glassy-eyed. ‘S’all right. Dad says it’s all right.’

‘Did he?’

‘At lunch.’

‘Not lunchtime, now, is it? It’s bedtime.’

‘It’s beddy-byes-time,’ Jake mimicked in a high voice. Ethan sniggered behind him.

‘Let’s go, young man, back to the villa. You too, Ethan.’

Jake grunted and sat down again on the armchair. ‘Let’s all go to bed,’ he mumbled.

Jennifer leaned down to hook one arm around her older son’s waist.

She said, ‘Will you help me with him, Sean?’