Suddenly Archie coughs back into life, water streaming from his mouth. I roll him over onto his side in the recovery position, his top leg and arm bent to help prop him up, his head still tilted slightly back to keep his airway open. Someone proffers a thick towel, and I wrap it around his shoulders to keep him warm as he starts to go into shock.

Felix kneels beside me on the wet concrete in his expensive suit, fear sharpening his cheekbones to white blades. ‘Archie, Dad’s here,’ he says, touching his son’s shoulder. ‘You’re going to be OK, Archie. I’m here. Everything’s going to be OK.’

He strokes his son’s wet hair back from his face, his little finger jutting at an unnatural angle from his hand. It’s not broken: I only dislocated it.

I glance around, looking for Stacey. She’s still standing over by the sunloungers on the other side of the pool, her handbag tucked neatly beneath her arm as if she’s at a cocktail party. Shock affects us all differently: I’ve seen as many people burst into giggles as into tears when I tell them someone they love is dead.

The paramedics arrive, and seeing them suddenly galvanises Stacey into action.

She flies to Archie’s side, refusing to let go of his hand as the medics wrap him in blankets and load him onto a stretcher. Felix has to put his arm around her and gently pull her away so the paramedics can do their job.

‘They’re taking him to the Princess Eugenie,’ I tell Stacey. ‘That’s my hospital. I’ve texted Lisa Kacer in the ED. She’ll make sure whoever takes care of Archie communicates properly with you.’

‘I’m afraid only one of you can come in the ambulance,’ the paramedic says.

‘I’ll go,’ Stacey tells Felix. ‘You can meet me there.’

Someone throws another thick towel around Harper’s shoulders as the medics wheel the stretcher back towards the clubhouse. Her wet dress flaps around her legs and she shivers uncontrollably: as much from shock as from the cold.

‘Is he going to be OK?’ she asks me quietly.

‘He should be,’ I say. ‘He wasn’t in the water long. You saved his life acting as quickly as you did.’

‘But he wasn’t breathing, Millie. Will he have – you know, brain damage?’ she whispers.

‘He’s going to be fine,’ I say, because it’s what she needs to hear.

Tyler and Lucas cling to her, their faces white and frightened.

‘Did you see what happened to Archie, boys?’ Harper asks. ‘Why was he even in the deep end? I didn’t think he liked going out of his depth.’

The boys shake their heads, lower lips trembling as they stare at the ground.

She turns to my son. ‘What about you, Peter? Did you see?’