‘It’s a good one,’ he reassures me, sensing my distrust. ‘As well as our party on the Friday night, we’re going to have a posh mini-break! We’re booked in to stay at the hotel for two nights, along with Madeline, Nick, and my mum and dad. And Mum’s booked treatments at the spa on the Saturday afternoon for you, me, Madeline and Nick!’ He pauses while he waits for me to digest the news. ‘So? What do you think? Madeline helped Mum to book it all.’

‘Wow.’ I realise that came out sounding less than excited. Ordinarily, this would be an incredible surprise. A real treat. Right now, it feels like too much. But I can’t let Toby see how I’m feeling, so I take a breath and try to act really happy. ‘Toby, that’s amazing! Thank you.’

‘So, you like the surprise?’

‘I love it.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes, thank you so much. Just one thing – what about Alice and Jamie? We can’t very well leave them on their own all weekend. I know your Aunty Vivian has said she’ll miss the party and take care of the kids for the evening, but what happens after that? We can’t expect her to have them for the whole weekend.’

‘All sorted.’

‘Really?’

‘Yep. Aunty Viv has already agreed to it. Which also means we don’t have to pack up a load of stuff for them.’

‘That’s so good of her.’

‘I know.’

Viv is Celia’s sister. She lives just over an hour away in Poole. She’s widowed with no children of her own, but she’s great with Alice and Jamie, so that’s perfect. Luckily, I’d already booked Saturday off work, so it seems like everything really has been taken care of. The more it sinks in, the more I’m starting to think that this weekend break might actually be really good fun. I mean, if Madeline is coming away with us for the weekend too, then perhaps she really is fine with me, and I’ve blown things out of proportion.

‘We should probably invite my dad to stay for the weekend, too,’ I suggest. ‘I doubt he’ll say yes, but I’d feel bad if we left him out. Especially as your mum and dad are coming.’

Toby puts the heel of his hand on his forehead. ‘I’m so stupid, of course we should invite your dad. Sorry I didn’t think of it before.’

‘No, it’s fine. Like I said, I’m sure it’s not his thing anyway.’ I suddenly feel a surge of contentment wash over me. ‘You’re an amazing husband, Toby. Sorry I’ve been a moody cow lately.’

He tuts. ‘Don’t be silly, course you haven’t.’

I raise an eyebrow.

‘Okay, maybe a little bit.’ He grins. ‘But you’ve been stressed. Don’t worry about it.’