She felt strangely shy in Emily’s presence here in her flat, far more so than she had at the bar. She wasn’t entirely sure what Luke’s sister wanted from their meetings, sensing that there was something more to it than the simple desire to keep abreast of the search, and she could only conclude that talking to her somehow made Emily feel closer to her family, a connection to her parents and brothers after so many years apart. But that, too, didn’t seem quite right. Hoping to get her to open up, Clara asked tentatively now, ‘What was it like growing up at The Willows? It’s such a special place – it must have been idyllic.’

Emily’s eyes lit up. ‘Oh, it was! Mum and Dad built such a wonderful life for us, you know? That big lovely house, so full of people, so many parties, they’d both met so many interesting people through their careers, and they welcomed everyone – you’d be just as likely to be sitting down to dinner with the local dog walker as with the local MP.’ She paused, lost in thought. ‘But I think Mum, despite her career and devotion to Dad, loved more than anything just being our mother. Her family has always been everything to her, she put so much love and time into making our home beautiful for us all. It was perfect.’ She smiled sadly, ‘You’re right, we were very lucky.’

‘They’ve always been lovely to me,’ Clara told her. ‘I was so nervous before I met them, I was afraid they wouldn’t think I was good enough for Luke, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.’ She paused, remembering the talks she’d had with Rose over the years, how sometimes Rose had felt more like a mother to her than her own ever had. It struck her now for the first time that perhaps Rose had had similar thoughts, substituting Clara for her own lost daughter, that it was Emily she’d been thinking of when she’d wrapped Clara in one of her warm hugs or given her advice while they’d cooked or gardened together.

She glanced at Emily and the sadness on her face made her catch her breath. ‘It must be hard for you to talk about them,’ she said.

But Emily shook her head. ‘No, I want to.’ She looked at Clara. ‘They were always very close, Luke and my parents. Are they still?’

‘Incredibly so. That’s what makes it all the more heartbreaking, seeing Rose and Oliver so desperate.’

Emily nodded and, unable to stop herself, Clara leaned forward and said, ‘You obviously love your family so much. What made you leave? You said it would be dangerous to go back to them now, but—’

‘Clara …’ Emily began, a warning in her eyes.