‘But—’ My heart had sped up; I wanted to ask him more. ‘Hang on.’

‘I do hope you haven’t come to make a scene.’ Nella was cool, wearing some kind of – what? A flowing house coat and floaty sort of pyjamas.

‘No, I haven’t, but, Beau – what do you mean, lovie, Willow gave Zach something?’

‘Medicine.’ He peered round his mother. ‘From my mum’s cabinet.’

Nella frowned. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘Oh.’ I felt a huge wave of disappointment. ‘For the sickness, you mean?’

‘Sorry, Ruby.’ Nella was irritated. ‘Beau, go inside. Now.’

‘Not for the sickness, no. Before he was sick.’ Unblinking, Beau looked at me. ‘A pill. I heard her tell her friend she would.’

‘What kind of pill?’

‘Beau!’

‘A magic pill.’

‘Go to your room NOW.’ Nella was almost shouting.

‘Bye,’ the boy said, unfazed, and trotted into the recesses of the house as Nella pulled the door shut behind her, hiding the innards from view.

‘What exactly do you want, Ruby?’ She looked tired, I thought.

‘Sorry, but did you hear what your son just said?’

‘He’s not very well today. And he’s not reliable.’

‘Really?’ I was nonplussed. ‘Not reliable?’

We stared at each other, and I remembered those hypnotic eyes from the summer: when she wanted badly to be my friend. Today, though, she was more ruffled than usual, although still infinitely more collected than I was.

Which wasn’t hard really.

‘OK, so I’m not sure why you came, but Marcus isn’t here, if that’s what you were hoping,’ she said coolly. ‘You and every other bloody woman on the square, of course.’

I almost gasped. Like he was some kind of Adonis. Some God or superhero we all wanted.

‘No, I wasn’t hoping.’ Stung, I prayed I wasn’t blushing. ‘I just want to know…’ I trailed off. What did I want to know though, since that little boy had started speaking?

The truth.

‘Yes?’ Nella rearranged a few stems in the enormous flower arrangement beside her on the hall chest. ‘I’m on my way out actually, Ruby.’

In pyjamas?

‘OK, look.’ I gathered myself. ‘So originally I came to ask why Willow said it.’

‘It?’ Nella held my eye. ‘Because it’s true. Obviously.’

‘But what’s all this about Zach being sick?’

‘I have no idea, Ruby,’ she sighed. ‘Presumably he drank too much, which wasn’t hard, was it? The house was practically afloat with the stuff, and for that, I feel sorry, because it was stupid, in retrospect.’

‘Big of you, Nella.’

‘And Beau must have seen it. Him throwing up.’

‘But the pill? What pills do you keep in your cabinet?’

‘Ruby,’ she snapped. ‘What business is that of yours? You should go now. I think it’s best.’

‘But—’

‘Look, I’m sorry for you. For raising a boy like Zach. It must be very hard, especially with no dad around, but, honestly’ – she actually smiled – ‘it’s really not my problem.’

I had a sudden image of leaping forward and gouging both her eyes out with my fingers.