‘You know,’ she told me, shaking her head in wonder as we walked back into the village together. ‘I’ve always wondered if I had brothers and sisters somewhere in the world.’

‘Have you?’

I had cited my phone parcel as an excuse to leave the café, but really, I needed a bit of fresh air and some space in which to pull my thoughts together. Hope’s quick offer to accompany me told me that she was feeling much the same way.

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I have and,’ she added with a nudge, ‘here you are.’

I nudged her back, still struggling to find the words.

‘Yes,’ I managed to whisper, ‘here I am.’

We carried on a few steps in silence again.

‘Do you think they’re going to get together now?’ she then shocked me by asking.

‘Who?’

‘Our parents,’ she said, ‘Do you think they’re going to become a couple?’

‘Crikey,’ I said, ‘I don’t know.’

‘I reckon they’re still into each other,’ she said, as she linked her arm through mine. ‘You can just tell, can’t you?’

‘I don’t know,’ I swallowed, ‘it was all such a shock I can’t say that I had time to notice details like that.’

‘Well, I did,’ she said.

I pressed the tips of my fingers into my temples.

‘Are you all right?’

‘I think so,’ I said breathing slowly in and out. ‘It’s just such a lot to take in.’

‘It’s epic though, right?’ she said, stopping to look at me, her head cocked to one side.

I could sense her concern. She needed some reassurance from me.

‘Totally,’ I agreed, ‘and I honestly couldn’t wish for a better sister, it’s just . . .’

‘Too much for a mid-summer morning?’ she suggested. ‘Way too much,’ I agreed.

Hope might have just discovered who her dad was but I was still recovering from the revelation that my mum wasn’t who I thought she was and she never had been. It was a miracle I was still on my feet.

‘Would you mind if we kept this to ourselves for now?’ I asked, when we reached the cottage.

‘I was just about to ask you the same thing,’ she smiled. ‘I want to get it all fathomed out first before we go making any big announcements.’

‘Same,’ I smiled back, relieved that she agreed with me, but surprised nonetheless.

For Hope to hold back on anything it must have been a really big deal, not that I was in any doubt just how life-changing this all was, but it was yet another shock, to have her agreeing to hang fire when it came to telling everyone.

‘I won’t tell a soul,’ she said, ‘not even Sam, but let’s not take too long working it all out. After all, we’ve got almost three decades of sisterhood to make up for.’