First, she focused on Gerardo. Uncertainly, he came forward with Ilaria holding his hand but he was smiling. Equally uncertainly, he kissed her cheeks and Zia found herself closing her eyes. She wasn’t sure of her emotions but the gesture made the blood roar in her ears. Ilaria only nodded and smiled at Zia before she stepped back to let Fiorella and Roberto bestow on her much more exuberant and noisy hugs and kisses. ‘Zia-Lucia, you are back!’

Then Gerardo cleared his throat. ‘And here are Caterina, Laura and Riccardo to meet you. Le tue sorelle e tuo fratello.’ Your sisters and your brother.

Zia swallowed and turned to three people who’d been hovering in the background, all younger than her, all offering tentative smiles. Almost in a trance she gazed at them, recognising Riccardo, who’d had his hair cropped into spikes, and two young women, one with long hair and one with short.

They gazed back.

The oldest female, about Zia’s build, stepped forward. ‘I’m Caterina. This is Laura, and this is Riccardo.’

‘I’m Zia,’ she managed huskily, feeling her cheeks lift in the biggest smile she thought she’d ever smiled. ‘Zia-Lucia Costa Chalmers.’ A shaky laugh emerged. ‘It must seem an odd name to you but I think my mother was trying to keep all my options open.’

They laughed too, moving closer, eyes lively with curiosity. For several seconds nobody knew what to say or how to react to one another.

Then, instinctively, Zia opened her arms. Caterina was the first to step in and kiss her cheeks, then Laura, then Riccardo. Zia cleared the tears from her throat and pulled back to introduce Piero. ‘I’m not sure if you know my fiancé.’ Then as they laughed and talked together activity burst around her, breaths exhaled, bottles opened and glasses clinked. Gerardo hugged each of his kids in turn – including her.

Piero poured champagne and lifted his glass in a toast. ‘Alla famiglia! Salute!’ and suddenly she was in tears.

When Riccardo muttered, ‘Girls!’ disgustedly, her tears turned into laughter.

‘They’re happy tears. Alla famiglia!’ she cried, wiping her face with a napkin. Even Riccardo looked dewy-eyed at that and everyone talked at once, testing her Italian and showing her their more-than-passable English.

Then, surreally, Laura gave Zia her phone. ‘Please … your number?’ she asked shyly, as if she half-expected to be refused.

They swapped contact details then Riccardo and Caterina held their phones out too and she exchanged numbers with them all, sniffing all over again. ‘This is the strangest moment of my life. But one of the happiest.’

Then Piero whispered something in her ear and she added, ‘Oh, yes. Will you all come to our wedding in the summer?’

‘Of course, of course,’ cried Caterina and Laura. ‘A wedding!’

Riccardo pulled a face. ‘Do I have to wear a tie?’