Her expression is sour. ‘You are not married to my son and he isn’t the father of your child. In his absence Tim and I have as much right to be here as you, if not more. We’re not going anywhere, so you might as well get used to it.’

‘You’ve got to be ready,’ Douglas says. ‘If Cora is getting a valuation, it means they’re going to make a claim.’

Douglas arrived at two o’clock, fresh from a meeting in town, in a suit and tie. He looks good; elegant and authoritative. I asked him over so that I could discuss Cora’s latest outrage with someone who understands the law.

‘She wouldn’t dare.’

‘For God’s sake. What do you think this is about? Stop blinding yourself to the truth. You have zero rights in the event of Nick’s death. The only thing you can do, if it comes to that, is make a claim on his estate. You have to establish your right to be here. This is nuts. You could lose everything if you’re not careful.’

‘He’s not dead.’

‘And you have your head in the fucking sand.’

‘I don’t want to talk about it.’

He throws up his hands. ‘What am I here for, then?’

That’s a fair point. I stare into my cooling mug of tea, wishing it was a glass of wine. ‘Sorry.’

He lets out his breath. His tone becomes gentle. ‘You cannot afford to react to the Ritchies by getting hysterical. You need to keep your cool. There’s a lot at stake here. This place must be worth two million at least. If it does turn out that Nick is dead …’

I scowl, but this time I don’t interrupt.

‘You’ll have a battle on your hands, but your relationship and circumstances will be taken into account and you will probably come away with something. If Nick isn’t found, this could drag on for years, but you won’t need to leave the property, not until he has a Declaration of Presumed Death. Those two will fight you for everything, they’ll make your life uncomfortable, but you mustn’t give up, for Lottie’s sake.’

‘But this house won’t be mine, whatever happens?’

I look around and he follows my gaze. This big, light room was my fantasy. I designed it. The floor is stone, the work surfaces glittering granite, the cupboard doors a relaxing shade of grey. The downlights are industrial pewter, sourced from LASSCO in Vauxhall, the stainless-steel fridge-freezer was shipped over from America. My God, the money we spent. And I could lose the lot to Nick’s parents.

‘Not legally, no,’ Douglas says. ‘That’s why you have to be clever. I’ll help you. I’ll make sure you’re treated fairly.’