‘Mon Dieu, what do the British do at the weekend?’ Michel says, and as I stand there looking at the sun searing the lake, I really can’t fathom. What on earth did I do back home, before everything changed? Met friends for coffee on Lordship Lane. Marked Year 11 literature mocks. Sat in the park with a book and ready-mixed gin and tonic out of a can. Watched box sets with Patrick. Planned to hit the gym but never actually went.

‘Hiking is what we do here. It’s a national sport,’ he adds and I nod.

It’s another life, here. A life I could have had.

We picnic on bread, dried meat and cheese, and then pack up and walk on, downhill this time, in the direction of a wood cabin Michel tells me is some kind of restaurant. He’s promised me a cup of tea and a slice of cake as a reward for my unprecedented exertions. Léa and Luca scamper on ahead, but Michel hangs back with me.

‘Thanks for inviting me,’ I say. ‘This is wonderful.’

‘You’re welcome. It’s nice to see Switzerland through a foreigner’s eyes.’

His English is American-accented. ‘You speak such good English. Did you study in the States?’

He smiles. ‘Merci. Yes, I did a business postgraduate degree there. Columbia. A long time ago now.’

‘Was Julia out there with you?’

‘No. She stayed here. She’d just got a great job and it didn’t make sense for her to come so we were long distance for a while.’

I nod. I wonder where he met Julia and how long they’ve been together. I wonder what they love about each other, which of Julia’s little habits Michel finds beguiling and which frustrate the hell out of him. I want to know everything about them; I want to know the steps they took to get here, to become this perfect family. Perhaps there’s a secret I’ve not been privy to. Maybe if I knew, I could make it happen for me.

‘And you? Where did you study?’

‘Bristol. English degree. Very unoriginal.’

‘You always wanted to be an English teacher?’

‘Not really. I didn’t know what else to do and I loved books, so…’ I realise how rubbish that sounds, but to his credit, he doesn’t say so.

‘Well, you’re good at it.’ He looks at me and my eyes clearly show surprise. ‘Léa’s raving about you. The other day she took me through every animal name you taught her. It was a long list.’ He laughs and I smile back, a thrill warming my insides at his praise.