‘She’s been over most days,’ said his mother. ‘I said to her: “You weren’t that interested when he was in perfect health, were you?” but she kept on coming. Always did what she wanted, that one.’

Ah, yes, she did, Rob thought, smiling inwardly as he sank back onto the pillows. That was why he loved her. And why he’d woken up too.

‘The doctors are saying that you were very lucky, you know. You could’ve been killed . . .’

Rob could barely concentrate on what his mother was saying and he really couldn’t care less. The thought that Elle had been here was all he could think about and it gave him a vague glimmer of hope.

But he wouldn’t let it get to him just yet. She had probably been concerned about him, that’s all.

Nothing more than that.

Elle was so absorbed in her work that she didn’t even hear the phone ring. She had been working for some hours, even able to block out the whine and screech of the chainsaw outside.

She was roused by Penny’s ungainly clattering through the hallway.

‘He’s awake!’ her sister cried. ‘He’s going to be all right.’

The charcoal in Elle’s hands was snapped in two, so tightly did she clench her hands. For a second she thought that she couldn’t possibly believe it, and then relief flooded her. She didn’t know that it was possible to feel like this, as though you had been given everything you asked for all at once.

‘Thank God, thank God,’ was all she could say.

‘You’ll be able to visit him in a couple of days,’ Penny added, and she watched her sister’s face change.

‘A couple of days? If you think I’m waiting longer than ten minutes, Penny, you’re absolutely mad.’

Elle Harte was back.

The following week was a hive of activity. Sometimes Elle wondered if they were doing so much work that the building wouldn’t be able to stand it, would refuse to put up with all this cutting and moving and crashing. And for a time, it seemed that all they had truly done was make a mess that couldn’t possibly be cleaned up.

What remained of the old entrance had been completely demolished and once again the hotel was bandaged with tarpaulin.

The carpets in all the common areas had been ripped up, leaving patchy, bald looking floors. The curtains had been taken down, and the floors re-covered in plastic as painting and fresh wall-papering commenced.

Ned, Penny and Colin helped wherever they could, which was mainly with jobs where no expertise was required. They carried timber for the builders (Rob’s competition, but that couldn’t be avoided), sanded floors and walls and helped Molly with the endless food that needed to be prepared.

Ned joked to Colin: ‘I think you’re building up a few muscles these days.’