Tara wrinkled her nose. ‘Possibly, but I don’t see how we can find out more. We’re not going to have much of an opportunity to mingle,’ she said, picking up her serviette and twisting it. She had lost her appetite. ‘I think I’ve heard as much as I can stomach. We should go home.’

‘It’s too late now,’ April replied as the sound of a fork tapping against a glass brought the room to order.

Josh stood behind a lectern on a small stage. ‘My honoured guests, on behalf of my wife and myself, I’d like to welcome you all here tonight.’ He paused until the round of applause had died down. ‘With your help, we’ve done some incredible work over the last year and it’s not going to stop there. I warn you there will be speeches, auctions, and perhaps some tears later, but all in a good cause. I’ll be asking you to dig deep into your pockets again, but first I’d like you to enjoy your food and relax with a few glasses of whatever takes your fancy. We’ll speak later.’

As the starters were served, April and Tara did their best to make small talk with the other guests on their table. Most were colleagues or casual acquaintances of Josh, but none had known Erin particularly well. Tara’s heart wasn’t in it, but when she mentioned being a widow, the conversation picked up a pace. Her fellow diners were eager for her to share her experience so they could better understand what Josh was going through and for the first time that night, Tara was back on familiar ground.

‘The best advice I can give is not to pre-empt what might or might not be in Josh’s best interest,’ Tara said. ‘Don’t assume he doesn’t want Erin’s name coming up in conversation, for example. He wouldn’t be here tonight if he’d rather pretend she never existed.’

‘But how do we know when it’s the right time to talk?’ asked a woman sitting opposite.

‘Ask him,’ Tara said simply. ‘Say you want to know more about Erin and ask if he could tell you about her. You won’t always get the timing right, but it can’t be any worse than the awkward pauses that replace the questions he’s waiting to be asked. And can I just say, you’re doing pretty well so far tonight.’

‘In that case, would you mind telling us what happened to your husband?’

Tara relaxed into the conversation and occasionally directed questions to April. It felt awkward introducing her as simply a supportive friend, but they quickly settled into the roles they had agreed. It was surprisingly easy to become a fraud.

As the main course was being cleared away, Tara noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Olivia Malford was on the move. April grabbed her bag.