I sat holding the letter, and saw that my hands were shaking. I knew I needed to read it again, and probably a third or a fourth time, but one phrase stuck in my mind.

Had he known?

I called Marina on her mobile and asked her if she could come and see me at the Pavilion. She arrived five minutes later, and saw the distress on my face.

Following me into the sitting room, she glanced at the letter lying open on the coffee table.

‘Oh Maia,’ she said, holding out her arms to me. ‘I’m sure you must be very distressed, having heard your father’s voice speaking to you from the grave.’

I didn’t move to accept her embrace. ‘Ma, please, you must tell me if you ever told Pa Salt about our . . . secret?’

‘Of course not! Please believe me, I would never betray you!’

I could see the hurt in Marina’s kind eyes.

‘So he never knew?’

‘No. How could he have done?’

‘In the letter, he says something that made me think he must have known . . .’

‘May I take a look at it?’

‘Of course. Here.’ I picked up the letter and handed it to her, watching intently as she read it.

Eventually, she looked up at me, her expression calmer now. She nodded in understanding.

‘I can see why you’ve reacted as you have, but I honestly think that your father was simply sharing with you his own truth.’

I sat down abruptly on the sofa and put my head in my hands.

‘Maia.’ Marina shook her head and sighed. ‘As the letter from your father says, we all make mistakes. We simply do what we think is right at the time. And you, out of all the girls, have spent your life putting the feelings of others first. Especially your father’s.’

‘I just never wanted to let him down.’

‘I know, chérie, but all your father wished for each one of you was that you were happy and felt secure and loved. Please, today of all days, don’t forget that. But perhaps it’s time, now that he’s gone, for you to think about yourself and what you want.’ Marina shook herself briskly and rose. ‘Now, Electra has announced she’s leaving, as has Tiggy. CeCe called Georg Hoffman first thing this morning and has gone off with Star to visit him at his office in Geneva. And Ally is busy on her laptop in the kitchen.’

‘Do you know if any of them have read their letters yet?’ I asked, trying to pull myself together.

‘If they have, they haven’t shared the information with me,’ Marina confirmed. ‘Perhaps you’d like to join us up at the house for lunch, before Electra and Tiggy leave?’

‘Of course. And I’m sorry, Ma, for ever doubting you.’

‘It’s completely understandable, given the letter. Now, you take some time alone to calm down, and I’ll see you up at the house at one o’clock.’