Merrin laughed, liking the woman’s easy manner. She understood. It was this quiet tolerance that kept the wheels oiled for her and Miguel too, turning a blind eye to his penchant for eating in bed, showering the clean bed linen with crumbs, and his love of the trashiest pop music her ears had ever endured. He, too, could no doubt give a dozen examples of habits of hers that drove him to distraction, but the two of them worked. They were mates who had good sex. That was it. He told her he loved her and, whilst she would not exactly call it love, she knew her life was better with him in it and was happy to have a partner in this sometimes transient environment, where they could close their door and play at families on a rare day off. But as for the future? Merrin wondered where she might venture next when she had a little more experience under her belt – a warm country, maybe? And if Miguel wanted to come along, that would be fine, but if he didn’t, she would miss the beautiful man, but that would be fine too.

‘We’re here for two nights and please tell me your swimming pool is open. I can’t function without my morning swim. My mother-in-law is treating us for Valentine’s and I want to make the absolute most of it.’

‘Well, how lovely!’

‘Oh, she really is.’ The woman crinkled her eyes in fondness.

‘Good news: the indoor pool is open in the spa and we have wetsuits if you fancy a dip in the outdoor pool.’

‘Really?’ The woman sounded amazed.

‘No, not really, it’s beyond freezing, you’d have to chip the ice off.’

‘Oh, my God! You’re hilarious!’ the woman yelled, throwing her head back to reveal her shiny, white teeth.

‘I have my moments.’ Merrin liked that this fancy-pants woman found her funny. ‘Have you travelled far today?’

‘From London. Thought we’d grab a couple of days away either side of this treat. We are actually en route to Cornwall for a flying visit.’

‘Oh, Cornwall! That’s where I’m from.’ She pictured the bay of Port Charles and felt the familiar pang of loss. She missed her mum’s cooking, sleeping in her childhood bed, walking barefoot over the cobbles, all the way down to the water’s edge, and even her fat sister. Wasting no time, Ruby was nearly five months pregnant and Heather had gone into knitting and crochet overdrive – the little babby had a whole wardrobe of impractical and beribboned items waiting in a drawer. Merrin felt strangely removed from her sister’s pregnancy, not only by the fact that she was physically absent, but also because becoming a mother was so far out of her sphere it felt very much as if Ruby, like Bella, was leaving her behind.