‘I must have been bad in my past life,’ she joked, while taking her painkillers from the small plastic cup the nurse had just handed to her. ‘I don’t feel amazing and I know I don’t look amazing. I don’t even want to go near a mirror.’

‘War wounds, a few stitches. They will soon be gone.’ There was silence for a second. ‘Ella, this is all my fault. I left the key in the boat, which I know is a complete no-no, and if I hadn’t, you wouldn’t be lying here. I’m so sorry.’ Roman looked troubled.

Ella reached across for his hand. ‘Honestly, don’t worry about that. I think it was a blessing in disguise, this way the police caught him, thankfully.’ She took a sip of water from the glass on her bedside cabinet. ‘You know, I’d never thought I’d ever set eyes on him again, and there he was, as bold as brass, sitting in The Lakehouse without a care in the world.’ Ella took a breath. ‘For a second I actually thought he was going to drive us into the rocks,’ her voice faltered, and she felt the emotion well up inside. Roman leant across and laid his hand on top of hers. ‘But he didn’t, and you were so brave. Have the police been back in yet?’

Ella shook her head. ‘I just want to know who the hell he really is and why did he come back a second time?’

‘To chance his arm? Who knows how these people tick? It’s beyond me. But he’s arrested now and hopefully charged.’

‘Let’s hope so. How have I managed to get myself kidnapped at my age?’

Roman gave a little chuckle. ‘It does sound funny, being kidnapped at your age.’

‘It’s just all so strange. The day he went missing, I was completed devastated, I thought he was dead and my life was over. And then the police discovered he’d lied about most things, maxed out my credit cards and conned me into handing over my inheritance. And now I actually wish he was dead, which is certainly not good-spirited of me.’

‘In these circumstances I think I’d feel exactly the same.’

‘I lived with this man for over a year and I don’t even know his proper name. He was caring, loving and always made me feel like I was the only girl in the world. I felt lucky to have found him but now, looking back, it wasn’t like that at all and I’m not feeling at all lucky now.’