Janie had been surprised to see Ella almost as excited as her sister. It was the first time in weeks she’d reverted to the little girl that Janie feared she was losing. It wasn’t long until Ella would finish primary school, and the thought of what was going to happen beyond that didn’t bear thinking about. Phones, WhatsApp groups, retreating into her bedroom every evening … Janie wanted to hang on to their childhood days for as long as she could, and if it meant crabbing with her girls instead of arguing with them over homework, then that was what she would do.

Ella was bouncing from foot to foot, screeching at Lottie to pull her net up. In turn her younger sister stepped back, laughing as she pointed out a tiny crab, which Ella helped her upturn into the bucket with a plop, making them both laugh harder. Janie smiled and stroked Lottie’s dark-brown hair, which hung down her back in a long plait. The sun had warmed it and it felt comforting to the touch. She could feel her youngest pressing into her hand, the way she always did when Janie played with her hair.

Lottie was nothing like Ella. Ella had outgrown the desire to be touched in any way since she was five. Even in reception Janie had barely set foot in the playground when already Ella had run off to chat to her teachers or join a group of older girls. Lottie was the one who had continued to stay by her side, holding on to her top, not wanting her to go.

‘Are we going to throw the crabs back in, at the end?’ Lottie asked.

‘Of course we are,’ Ella told her. ‘What do you think we’re going to do – take them home and eat them?’

‘You can eat crab,’ Lottie replied. ‘Daddy does, doesn’t he, Mummy?’

‘He does, darling, but Mummy won’t be taking any crabs home to cook tonight.’ Or any other night, she thought, grimacing at the bucket.

‘You could call Daddy,’ Ella said, helping her sister dip the line over the edge of the quay again. ‘You could ask him to come and meet us.’

Janie glanced up at the offices, squinting against the sun, already low in the sky. Her husband was inside, oblivious to the fact that his family were on the other side of the water. If she called him, would he come to the window and look out at them, like he’d said Mia had done a few weeks back?

Ever since their brief meet-up Janie had been wondering about Mia and her closed behaviour, and considered how many more women there were in Harry’s office that she needed to be worried about.

‘Mum?’ Ella had stopped and was facing her, a line dangling from one hand.