‘We had a bit of a conundrum with the new house,’ Tara began. ‘Of the two bedrooms for the girls, one is a double and the other a tiny box room. Iain suggested they draw straws and when Molly won, Lily said she didn’t care, she would go and live with Joanna’s parents. The whole thing was about to degenerate into a family meltdown when Molly quietly suggested that she didn’t mind taking the smaller room if it meant Lily would stay … and if I agreed to get her a dog for Christmas.’

‘Wow, she’s some negotiator.’

‘I’ve told her I’ll only consider getting some sort of pet when we’re settled, and she seems happy with that for now.’

‘And Lily?’ asked April.

‘We’ll see what happens.’

‘It’s the unknown that scares her.’

‘It scares us all,’ Tara replied as they reached the river’s edge. ‘What’s wrong, April?’

Her friend looked across the water towards Ince Marshes where the brutal industrial landscape cut into the horizon. ‘Maybe we should wait for Faith.’

‘Did someone mention my name?’

Dexter had been digging up sods of earth on the embankment, but stopped at the sound of a new voice. His hindquarters tensed as he prepared to launch himself at Faith, who was wearing a full-length woollen coat in a beautiful shade of olive green.

Faith peered at the dog over the rim of her sunglasses. ‘Down!’ she said in a low growl.

Dexter pressed his body to the ground while April’s jaw dropped. ‘Here, you take him,’ she said, offering the leash.

‘Good grief, no. I can’t stand dogs. I’m more of a cat person.’

‘I didn’t know you had any pets,’ April said.

‘I don’t, but if I had to choose, it would be a cat. They seem less needy.’

‘You make a good point,’ Tara said as she watched Dexter slink away from Faith to hide behind April. His lower half was caked in mud and he no longer looked like a teddy bear that anyone would want to cuddle. Perhaps she should have brought Molly with her.

‘Which way should we go?’ asked April when Dexter resumed tugging on his leash.

They had the option of walking upriver for a closer view of the bridges spanning the Mersey at Runcorn, but Tara turned her back on the sun, and they set off on the path that skirted the edge of the pasture and led to an ancient duck decoy cut out of the salt marshes to attract water fowl. ‘We might be able to spot Hale lighthouse across the marshes.’

‘I imagine this would be quite a nice route for a jog,’ said Faith.

‘You’re taking up running?’ asked April.

‘No, I meant for you,’ Faith replied. ‘You seemed very interested in Nick’s fitness regime. I thought you two might have formulated a plan by now.’