The boy looked up, pushing back his hood. Anna almost sobbed with relief as he got to his feet. He can move, she told herself, the relief acute. She couldn’t even see any scrapes on his face.

‘Anna!’

She reached out an arm and he stretched out his, but there was still too much distance between them. The rope didn’t quite reach. The ground beneath her feet began to give way and she scrabbled to find her footing.

‘Stay back!’ Anna shouted down to the boy.

She made it to the ground and Robbie threw himself against her. Anna hugged him tightly and they held on to each other, crying.

‘I thought the waves would be okay but they weren’t and I couldn’t turn around to get back home,’ Robbie sobbed. ‘I brought the Silver Darling in here and anchored her but then a wave smashed her on the rocks and I was trapped. I dropped my phone! Dad always makes sure there’s a flare in the dinghy but it got washed away and every time I tried to climb the cliff it kept slipping and I was scared. I thought no one would ever find me. I didn’t – I didn’t – I didn’t know what to do.’

‘It’s all right,’ Anna said, still holding him close. ‘Frank will call someone. They’ll come and get us. It’s all right. Are you hurt? Did you bang your head?’

‘No,’ Robbie cried. ‘But I’m so cold!’

Anna looked around and saw that Robbie had been sitting in what was probably the most sheltered part of the cove. ‘Come on,’ she said.

Anna took off her coat and then sat down with her body between a large boulder and the cliff. She pulled the boy onto her lap. Robbie curled against her, his head beneath her chin, the wet hood of his jacket pressing into her throat. Anna tucked her coat under her feet, then pulled it over Robbie up to his chin. She wrapped her arms around him and felt him shivering against her.

‘It’s all right,’ she said. ‘Someone will be here soon. We’re going to be all right.’

Her back and legs were cold, but gradually the boy stopped shivering. Anna didn’t want him to sleep and so tried to keep him talking.

‘Tell me about the bake sale,’ she said. ‘I haven’t seen you since we made the tarts.’

‘I sold them all!’ Robbie said, the pride clear in his voice, despite the tremor. ‘Every single one! They made £9.50!’

‘That’s amazing!’ Anna said. ‘Well done. I’m not surprised, though, they were delicious.’

‘You know the best bit, though?’ Robbie said, in a conspiratorial tone. ‘Queen Victoria had two of her buns left at the end of the day, even though they had icing on!’