She stared into space, lost in thought. I realised then that this was not about Reggie or my own grief at all: it was, as ever, Frank she was thinking of. At first, my sadness was overridden by anger. But then I thought how grateful I should be that I still had my lovely Jack, and all I wanted to do was have him hold me in his arms and make it all go away.

*

Luc looked older and much thinner than when we’d last met a couple of years earlier, the strain of recent events evident in his drawn face. In spite of his best efforts to make the occasion a joyous celebration of her life, Reggie’s funeral was desperately sad. The chapel was packed to capacity, with several people forced to stand outside. Fortunately, it was a sunny and pleasantly warm early September day. Everyone had been told to wear bright, cheerful colours, but the misery exuded by the mourners told a different story. Many of those present were breathtakingly beautiful models and acclaimed designers that Reggie had worked with over the years, but everyone seemed to be struggling to maintain a semblance of dignity as the flower-bedecked coffin was carried through the door.

Luc delivered a faltering yet heartfelt eulogy, to the sound of muted sobs. Jack was solemn and supportive, holding my hand tightly throughout the service. I felt as though I were in a bubble. None of it seemed real. I looked at the lonely coffin, perched on a trolley at the front of the chapel. Reggie’s smiling face stared out from a photograph propped on its lid. I could not connect this box, this inanimate, functional object, with my beautiful friend. She had been in her prime; so full of life, her future stretching promisingly before her. I could still hear her wicked giggle, picture the grin that so often lit up her face, hear the dirty jokes that she loved to shock people with. I thought of the gentle side to her nature: her kindness, her loyalty to those she loved. It all felt like a bad dream.

Afterwards, people assembled in sombre clusters, looking on as hundreds of helium-filled balloons were released outside the crematorium. Luc switched on a portable speaker, and Reggie’s favourite song, Coldplay’s ‘The Scientist’, filled the air. The finality of it all was almost too much to bear.

Seeing us through the crowd, Luc came over as people gradually began to disperse. He hugged me and shook Jack by the hand.

‘I’m so glad you could come. Reggie thought the world of you, you know.’