I’m beginning to wish I’d let Madeline fall asleep. She’s growing more bolshy by the second. ‘I saw you meet up with Toby at our house last week. Is that when you spoke about it?’

‘How did you see us?’ She frowns for a moment and then waves the thought away. ‘Never mind. Yes, Toby asked to see me so he could explain why he wanted to keep your affair a secret. He said it was because of the children, so of course I had to agree.’ She folds her arms across her chest and gives a little shiver.

‘Toby told me he’d met up with you because of the surprise. He said you were helping him to plan it.’

‘What surprise?’ She reaches forward for her coffee and takes a couple of sips.

‘This whole weekend away.’ I gesture around me to the room. ‘This was the surprise.’

‘No.’ She shakes her head vehemently. ‘It was nothing to do with that.’ Her eyes seem to be growing heavy again.

I take a few big gulps of my coffee before reaching into my bag for my phone and calling Nick’s mobile. It rings and rings before going to voicemail, so I try Toby instead. He answers almost immediately.

‘Zoe, where are you? I was just about to call you.’

‘I’m upstairs with Madeline. She’s had a bit too much to drink, so I’m getting her to drink some coffee.’

‘Oh.’ There’s a pause.

‘Toby, are you still there?’

‘Yes, sorry. Is she okay now? With you I mean? Did she tell you what’s been bugging her?’

‘Actually, yes. Yes she did, and it’s a bit strange. Can you come up here, please? And bring Nick. We’re in his and Madeline’s room.’

‘I…’ But he tails off.

I end the call, unsure whether to be anxious or angry at what’s been going on. But until I know how the rumour originated, I guess I’ll still be confused and in the dark.

Madeline’s eyes are closed now, and she’s slumped back in her chair, her mouth slightly open. I think about waking her up but decide against it. It’ll be easier to talk to Nick and Toby without Madeline adding in her low opinion of me.

As I wait, my stomach churns and I start to feel faintly queasy. Despite the strong coffee, I’m still not fully sober. There are too many conflicting questions in my head for me to make sense of anything – I need to question Nick and Toby before I start jumping to any conclusions.