Ten minutes later, I emerged with a pair of Cuban-heeled leather shoes that were held in place with a button securing the strap over the arch of my foot.

‘Now these really are something that Marina would wear,’ I said, as I pressed him to take some money from me for the shoes, which I knew had been expensive. He refused and instead stopped in front of an ice-cream kiosk, its display offering endless different flavours.

‘What do you want?’ he asked me. ‘I promise you this place sells the best in Rio.’

‘Whatever you’re having,’ I answered. Once the cones were handed over, we wandered across the main road and sat on a bench looking down on the beach, licking the delicious ice cream with relish before it melted.

‘Right,’ he said as we wiped our sticky mouths, ‘it’s past six o’clock, so why don’t you wander up to your hotel and get ready for your dancing debut tonight? I must go home to write some emails and pack for Paris tomorrow. I’ll pick you up in the hotel lobby at eight thirty.’

‘Okay, and thank you for a lovely day,’ I called as he walked away from me and I crossed the street to return to my hotel.

‘It’s not over yet, Maia,’ he shouted back at me with a smile.

As I asked for my room key from the reception desk, I was greeted by a concerned face.

‘Senhorita D’Aplièse, we were worried about you. You didn’t return home last night.’

‘No, I stayed the night with a friend.’

‘I see. Well, there was a phone call for you earlier. The operator couldn’t get hold of you, so the caller dictated a message. She said it was urgent.’ The receptionist handed an envelope over to me.

‘Thank you,’ I said as I took it from her.

‘And if possible, next time you decide to stay out overnight, perhaps you can let us know? Rio can be a dangerous city for foreigners, you see. Any longer and we would have had to call the polícia.’

‘Of course,’ I said, faintly embarrassed as I walked to the lift, musing on the fact that Rio might well be a dangerous city for foreigners. But for a native like me, it felt completely safe.

Up in my room, I tore open the envelope, wondering who could have left me a message of urgency, and read the typed words.

Dear Senhorita Maia,

Senhora Beatriz says she would like to see you. She is growing weaker every day and it is imperative that you come as soon as you can. Tomorrow morning at ten o’clock would be the best time.

Yara Canterino

Having taken a whole day out and forgotten completely for a few precious hours about my unknown past and uncertain future, it took a while for my brain to compute what this letter meant. As I ran the shower and stepped into the warm water, letting it cascade over my body, I decided that whatever tomorrow would bring, I would think about it then, not tonight.