‘Oh, Chuts! That’s my fault.’ Again she dropped to her knees and held him close. ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t here to let you out, boy. I’m sorry.’ He lifted his muzzle and grazed her cheek. She went to grab the mop and noticed that nearly all the blooms from Mario’s orchid had dropped and now sat like dead butterflies scattered across the drainer next to the sink – small, delicate crumples of wilting purple that she had known wouldn’t stand a chance in her inexpert care. A fleeting image of the ornate display at the Glade saddened her that she had knowledge of the place and also that the life of her orchid had ended.

‘What do you think, Chuts? Stick them back on? Would Mario notice?’ She was just considering how this might be possible when the front doorbell rang. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of it being Helen. It was not.

‘Mrs Talbot?’

‘Yes?’

‘Flowers!’ The woman shoved a wide and weighty bouquet into her arms and made her retreat. Bess waved her thanks and closed the front door. The place was starting to look like Kew Gardens, if you ignored the state of her orchid. There was no need for her to guess – she knew instantly who they were from: Jake. Or more specifically, Jake and Daniel. She was determined to make an extra effort with Daniel from now on. Natalie was right – he wasn’t going anywhere.

The phone rang and she grabbed it, jostling the bouquet into the crook of her arm.

‘Hey, Mum! Happy birthday!’

‘Oh, Jake, I just got your flowers! They are so beautiful – thank you!’

‘Yep, I got notification of delivery on my app so I knew it was a good time to call.’

‘How clever is that?’

‘Very. Are they lovely?’

‘They really are.’ He always sent her yellow roses, and here she was, with armfuls of them – just stunning. They left her feeling like one lucky mum. Her eyes roved the tightly bound yellow buds that she knew would be glorious at every stage. ‘You shouldn’t have done that, darling, but thank you, and please say thank you to Dan too.’ Her words were both conciliatory and heartfelt. Bess propped the flowers against the bottom step and took up her favourite stair, about a third of the way up. She gripped the phone and held it close to her face. ‘It’s lovely to hear from you. How was Scotland? Did you have a great time?’

‘Oh, Mum, the best. When people found out we were on our honeymoon they were just so kind, the sun shone, the scenery was stunning and just to have time to be together, to breathe . . . It’s been everything we hoped for.’

‘I am so glad!’ she said, and she was. ‘I’m still finding bits of confetti all over the house – that was some party!’