‘Yes. She had a wonderful eye for interiors, and I always told her she should do something professional with it, but she was more about saving the world than decorating.’ Sadie lets out a little laugh, tinged with pain. ‘Caro was very lucky – she had it all really. Such a waste.’ She looks down at her cup, and I think for a moment she might burst into tears.

‘I’m so sorry for your loss. It must be very hard on all of you.’

‘Yes, it is. Especially Rupert, obviously. They were the perfect couple. I wasn’t at all sure that he’d cope without her, and it was touch and go for a while, but he’s been so brave. I’m not sure he’ll ever move on, though. Caro was the only one for him.’

‘I’m sure.’ I get the feeling that Sadie is warning me off, even though I am just the housekeeper. ‘I should get back to work. I’ll let Rupert know that you stopped by.’

Sadie opens her mouth as if to say something, before thinking better of it and getting to her feet. ‘It was nice to meet you, Emily. I’m sure I’ll see you again.’

Relief floods through me as Sadie closes the front door behind her and I am alone again. I head back upstairs, intent on putting away the last of the laundry, but pause outside the spare room. Sadie’s words ring in my ears, ‘they were the perfect couple’, and my heart aches for Rupert. Caro may have been the only one for him, but I wonder if he ever gets lonely. Silently, I push open the door to the spare room, my body gravitating towards the huge wardrobe that houses Caro’s clothes. Her scent wafts out as I open the door, and I suppress a shiver. It feels as though she is in the room with me, a ghost of what was before. I glance down at the row of shoes that sit neatly under the hanging dresses, a mix of Converse trainers – still a brilliant white, unlike the faded grey-white pair of my own that sit at the bottom of the stairs – and flat gladiator sandals that must have been a favourite as the ends bear the faintest imprints of her toes, an oddly intimate glimpse into her life that makes me feel vaguely sad, and finally several pairs of sparkly sandals, with heels so high she must have barely been able to walk in them.