‘I don’t want to cause a big thing, and Lucy will be mortified. I can keep an eye on her, talk to her if necessary, suggest she changes her privacy settings, but I’d rather she didn’t find out – it’s just too creepy.’

‘She needs to know.’

‘It’ll scar her for life. Trust me.’

‘I’ll just have a quiet word with Alistair.’

‘Sean,’ I said. ‘Please don’t, not now. I just wanted you to be aware, that’s all. It’s probably nothing.’

‘He was looking at her Instagram account!’

‘He was looking at lots of accounts, from what I could see.’

‘All right. But if I see him doing it I’m going to take his mobile off him and shove it up his—’

‘Sean.’

He held a hand up.

‘OK, OK. I always knew there was something a bit odd about him, though. I knew it. Christ, maybe this holiday wasn’t such a good idea after all.’

‘Maybe,’ I said.

That was the easy bit. Now for the hard part.

I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to summon all my remaining strength. Fear was boiling up inside me, as if I was about to take a leap into the dark with no idea where the ground was. I reminded myself that – sometimes, at least – to find the answer to a question you simply had to ask it out loud.

‘Sean, I’ve said what I needed to say.’ I swallowed hard against the painful lump in my throat. ‘Now, is there anything you want to tell me?’

Chapter 31

31

He stared at me for a moment, a frown creasing his forehead.

‘Tell you what, love?’

‘You know what.’

He shook his head. ‘No. You’re going to have to give me a clue.’

He was giving almost nothing away. If he was acting, he was doing an amazing job. But I had seen him acting in front of people before, laying on the Irish charm so thickly you could slice it with a knife.

He’d charmed me too, once upon a time.

I gestured back up towards the villa. ‘I could just ask her instead, if you like.’

‘Ask who?’

‘You know damn well who!’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Russ told me on our first night here. He thinks Rowan is having an affair.’

‘What?’

‘An affair.’

‘Right.’ He scratched his head. ‘You’ve lost me a bit, love. An affair with who?’

‘I think you know the answer to that question.’

Sean’s frown deepened. ‘What? Why are you telling me this?’

I changed tack. ‘What did Rowan say to you at the beach, after you brought Odette back from the sea?’

‘I don’t . . . I don’t remember. Thank you?’

‘She whispered something to you.’

He looked momentarily embarrassed, before his mask of composure dropped back into place like shutters being pulled down.

‘No, she didn’t.’

‘She damn well did, Sean, don’t lie!’