I’m utterly astonished by Madeline’s accusation. Is this why she’s been so off with me recently? Why Kim has also been snubbing me? In fact, several of the school mums barely spoke to me this evening. It would make sense if this was the reason. It’s just another hideous lie to add to everything else that seems to be upending my life at the moment. The feeling that nothing is quite right. That my whole world is off balance. But why the hell would Nick tell Madeline such a thing in the first place? Where did he hear it, and why was he so quick to believe such a thing? I need to have a word with him. Right now.

Twenty-Three

NOW

‘Madeline, listen to me. Where did Nick hear about this so-called affair?’

She presses her knuckles to her mouth. ‘I shouldn’t have told you. Nick said I wasn’t supposed to say anything. I’m in big trouble now.’ She walks unsteadily over to a flight of carpeted stairs next to the lift and sits down heavily on the second stair. ‘Look at me, I’m on the naughty step.’

‘Madeline, you should have spoken to me about this earlier. I could have put you straight.’

‘I wanted to talk to you, Zoe, but I wasn’t allowed. And now I’m in trouble. I’m in so much trouble.’ She leans against the wall and closes her eyes.

‘I have never had an affair.’ But I’m not sure she’s even listening to me anymore. I’m desperate to speak to Nick, to find out where he got his information from, but I can’t leave my sister-in-law like this. I manoeuvre her off the stairs and into the lift and take her up to her room. After much fumbling about in her bag for the room key, we finally make it inside. She sits on the bed and slowly lies down, closing her eyes, but I sit her back up and lead her over to a plush velvet chair by the curtains. I draw them open a little and pull down the sash window to let in some fresh air. A sudden freezing blast makes me gasp, so I close it back up, leaving just a crack.

‘Don’t fall asleep yet, Madeline, I’m going to make us both some coffee.’

‘Is it after four o’clock?’

‘What’s this obsession with not drinking coffee after four? No, it’s not,’ I lie, putting a capsule into the coffee machine, place a cup beneath the spout and switch on the machine.

‘Good.’ She rambles on for a while about coffee until I cut her off.

‘Let’s have these coffees and then I’ll fetch Nick. Try to sort out this mix-up about me and my imaginary affair.’

‘S’not imaginary. It’s real. Nick’s been quite ill about it. For weeks.’