‘I’m afraid I can’t do that,’ I said, biting down hard on my lip, ‘because I’m not coming back today.’

‘You’re coming back in the morning and going straight to the office? I suppose I could email you, but I’m not sure that’s . . .’

‘No,’ I interrupted, ‘no. I’m not coming back tomorrow either.’

That seemed to knock the wind out of his sails. Bearing in mind the prestigious projects I’d got pencilled in, of which he was no doubt thinking, I wasn’t surprised.

‘Look,’ he said, ‘I know I was wrong to ignore you when you said you needed a break. Joan has made it more than clear that you were fully entitled, under the circumstances, to just take off. I get that, but I need you back, Tess.’

Good old Joan. I wondered if she had known some of what Mum had gone through. Had she fronted up to Dad because she knew what sort of husband he had been? Had she witnessed some of Mum’s humiliation for herself?

‘You aren’t sick, are you?’ Dad practically demanded when I didn’t respond.

‘No,’ I told him, ‘I’m not sick.’

‘Then enough is enough. I know I’m your father, but I’m also your . . .’ He hesitated and I quickly jumped back in.

‘The thing is, I’m going to be away for a few more weeks—’

‘A few weeks!’

‘Yes,’ I said firmly. ‘I never should have tried to keep working after Mum died. That was a mistake and now it’s all come back to bite me. I need a proper rest to get my head straight.’

I didn’t specify exactly how long for, or drop the tiniest hint about the diary. I dreaded to think what I still had to discover printed on those pages. It was definitely best all round if I kept him at arm’s length while I worked my way through it all.

‘I see,’ he said tightly when I offered no further explanation and I felt my stomach clench in response to his tone.

It was a pain I hadn’t experienced since my arrival.

‘And you’re absolutely sure there’s nothing else you want to tell me, Tess?’

‘Yes,’ I said, ‘I’m sure.’

I wondered if he had guessed that I was having doubts about my job too. Perhaps he was coming to the conclusion that I hadn’t only left because I hadn’t faced up to losing Mum.

‘Are you at least going to tell me where you are?’

‘No,’ I said, ‘there’s no point and besides I’m moving somewhere else today.’

I had taken the precaution of packing my passport so if he did go looking around the apartment, he wouldn’t find it and would hopefully assume I was abroad.