‘I can’t believe it; none of us can!’

‘Do you think it will ever feel true?’ She didn’t expect a response and Ruby’s answer floored her.

‘I think one day it will and I dread that day more than this one, because at the moment while my brain is catching up, at some level I think it might all be a mistake and there is the smallest chance he might walk through the door, but once I know it’s true, then that door is closed forever, and that scares me, Merry. That really, really scares me.’

‘What are we going to do, Rubes?’

A voice came from the doorway as their friend parked the pram at the bottom of the stairs. ‘Same as we always do, girls, we are going to hold each other close and get through it together.’

‘Oh, Bella.’ Both she and Ruby lumbered to the open doorway and held her close, as the three stood in the doorway with the rain at their backs.

‘I need a dry-off with a towel, a cup of tea and a chat with my girls. In that order.’

In spite of the circumstances, Merrin smiled at her best friend, whose mood was, as always, infectious; just the sight of the girl enough to lodge a sliver of happy into the dark crevices of her grief.

Jarvis had lost weight. Merrin stared at him now as he pulled on his boots and prepared to meet up with Robin and the others in the pub.

‘You all right, Jarv?’ She hated to see him so low when he was about to become a dad and this was supposed to be the happiest time.

‘Truth is, I don’t know really, Merry. It hasn’t sunk in yet, but I guess that’s what funerals are for.’

‘They are that, Jarv.’ Bella smiled at him. ‘Things will look a lot different this time tomorrow night.’

‘I’m dreading it,’ Ruby announced.

‘We all are,’ she agreed.

‘Is Miguel coming back down? I was looking forward to seeing him.’

‘No, Jarv. He has to work.’ She thought again of his incredible selfless act of kindness: delivering her home when she had needed him to, remembering for the first time the trouble he had gone to for Valentine’s and certain now that he had been about to propose. It was a funny thing, she was adamant she would have said no, letting him down as gently and as honestly as possible, but the way he had behaved in light of this tragedy, how he had given Digby short shrift . . . it made her think. Not that she had much spare capacity for these thoughts right now.

‘Shame. I like him. He’s a good bloke.’ He walked over and kissed Ruby on the forehead. ‘See you later, love. If you need me, just text and I’ll be straight back.’