Daniel looked up as Jake and Ethan’s mum appeared in a wide-brimmed straw hat, holding two small bottles of water. He liked her. She had a bit of a funny accent that sometimes sounded like she was American and just pretending to do a British voice.

‘Hey there, boys,’ Jennifer said. ‘Are you having a cool time playing?’

Jake gave a grunt in reply.

Jennifer held the bottles out to them. ‘I brought you some water to take with you when you go exploring.’

‘Not thirsty,’ Jake said.

‘But you will be soon, in this heat.’

‘No, ta.’

Jennifer turned to her younger son. ‘You need some water, Ethan, otherwise you’ll get sunstroke.’

‘I’m all right,’ Ethan mumbled.

‘You got anything to eat? I’m starving,’ Jake said.

Daniel looked sideways at Jake, then back at his mum. She just had a skirt and a vest-thing on, so it wasn’t like she could be carrying any food. She didn’t even have any pockets, so obviously she didn’t have anything for him to eat.

‘It’s just these,’ she said, proffering the bottles again. ‘Just the water, Jakey.’

He waved a hand dismissively.

‘I’m OK.’

‘But I could fetch you some snacks from the house, if you like, some fruit bars or there’s probably—’

‘Nah, doesn’t matter.’

‘Oh. Right.’ She turned to Daniel, as if noticing him for the first time. She held one of the plastic bottles out to him. ‘Would you like a water, Daniel?’

Daniel really did. He’d not had a drink since his apple juice at lunch and his throat was really dry with all the running about and exploring they’d been doing. His mum had said not to drink the water out of the tap here because it might give him an upset tummy and the French orange squash tasted funny so he’d not drunk anything for hours. He sneaked another look at Jake, who looked back out of the corner of his eye.

‘No thank you, Mrs Marsh,’ Daniel said. ‘I’m fine.’

‘Well, all right, then,’ she said. ‘So, what are you boys up today?’

‘Stuff,’ Jake said.

‘Exploring, are you? Super. Remember what I said about the gorge though, Jakey, won’t you?’

‘Uh-huh.’

‘You can play wherever you want to in the grounds, but not in the woods down by the gorge, where the drop-off is, all right? There’s a man coming this week to fix the fence at the cliff, but until he does you’re to stay away from there. And away from the woods.’

‘Sure,’ Jake grunted.

‘I’ll leave you to it, then. Have fun.’

She turned and headed back across the garden to the villa compound, the older boys sniggering as their mother walked away.

‘Beg-friend,’ Jake said, under his breath.

Ethan snorted with laughter.

‘She’s so embarrassing.’

‘What’s a beg-friend?’ Daniel said.