‘Saying goodbye isn’t easy, wherever you are. You don’t just lose a life-partner, you lose all those plans you’d made together,’ she replied, still holding his hand. Thinking of all the other widows and widowers Tara had brought under her wing, it was a wrench when she let Josh slip from her grasp.

‘I sort of knew what I was getting into with Erin. She was going through her first round of chemo when we met and by the time I convinced her to marry me, we knew we wouldn’t have long together. That didn’t mean I was prepared to let her go and it’s why I keep her with me now,’ Josh said, looking about him. There were pictures of Erin everywhere.

‘She was so beautiful,’ April said, pointing to one photo in particular. Erin’s face was dappled by sunlight as she stood in waterproofs beneath an oak tree. ‘Where was that taken?’

‘I’m not too sure. It was before we met, but I do know it was special to her. It was the last photo taken before she found the lump in her breast. How quickly life can change,’ he said. ‘But I count myself fortunate to have had Erin in mine, even if it was for a short while.’

‘How long were you married?’ asked April.

Tara was tempted to nudge her. It was beginning to sound like an interrogation.

‘Not long enough. Erin wanted to wait until she was cancer-free and when she found out that was never going to happen, she said I was a fool for insisting. This fool was her husband for ten months and twenty-three days and I treasure every minute.’ He turned to Tara. ‘How about you?’

‘Mike and I were married for three years, and I’ve been a widow for more than eight.’

‘Do you have children?’

‘My daughter was two when Mike died.’

The crowd had swelled around them and an older woman tugged at Josh’s sleeve to draw his attention away from the group.

‘Sorry,’ he said to Tara, ‘but I have duties to perform I’m afraid. It was nice meeting you though.’ Ignoring the next tug, he added, ‘It’s always good to talk to someone who’s been through something similar. It’s like you don’t have to explain things, they just know.’

Tara remained frozen to the spot as Josh was pulled away. ‘He wanted to talk,’ she said. ‘If it had been anyone else, I would have invited him to the group. He’d fit in well.’

‘Better than Nick?’

Rather than answer, Tara backed away, heading across the room to buy raffle tickets. April pursued her.

‘That photo I pointed to,’ she said. ‘It was the one Nick showed me. He knew it was taken at Delamere Forest.’

‘And?’

‘It was the last photo of Erin before she realised she was ill. You don’t get it, do you?’