I wiggle the handle up and down several times then put my shoulder to the wood and push as hard as I can, but the door to Isaac’s study doesn’t so much as creak. It can’t be locked, it just can’t. It’s always open. I wiggle the handle one last time then give up. I’m going to have to leave without my passport.

The patio is still crammed with people talking, laughing, dancing and singing. Everyone is gathered in a circle around the firepit, a goat revolving slowly on a spit above it. Hot fat drips into the fire, making it spark and crackle. The air is thick with the smell of meat, spliffs and smoke. Kane and Shona are sitting to the left of the fire. He’s wrapped around her, one hand on her bare thigh, the other around her waist. Shona rests into him, eyes closed, hands slapping against a pair of bongos that are gripped between her knees as Kane sings a Nepalese folk song I don’t recognise. Beside them, Gabe and Raj are deep in conversation. As I watch, Gabe glances across the circle to where Sally and Isis are sitting together in silence. They’re watching Paula as she twirls and spins around the fire, dancing to the beat of Shona’s drum.

Sitting nearest the garden are three of the new arrivals. The flat-nosed girl has twisted her blonde hair into a bun and adorned it with vibrant pink orchids. Her sparkly vest top looks out of place amongst the tattered T-shirts and faded combat shorts. So does her brunette friend’s full face of make-up. They’re both talking to the tall, slim guy who arrived with them, gesticulating wildly with their hands, touching him on the shoulder or the knee as they wail with laughter. He raises a cup of home brew to his lips and takes a sip, his eyes darting from one woman to the other as though he can’t decide which one he likes best.

Sitting nearest the house is Isaac. He is flanked either side by Leanne and Cera. Daisy is on his lap, her arms twisted around his neck, her head resting against his shoulder, her face tipped up towards his. He holds her loosely, one hand gripping a drink, the other a spliff. Daisy is mid-story, her cheeks flushed, feet wiggling as she smiles up at him, but Isaac is only half listening. He nods at her every couple of seconds then his gaze flicks back to the rest of the group and beyond them towards the orchard and river. Is he looking for Al, too? I take a step backwards, towards the house, but my heel catches on a metal bucket. It clatters to the floor, spilling water onto the patio.

Isaac twists round to see what the noise is. “Hello, Emma.”