The car door shut with a smooth, controlled click, like the sound of a silencer on a gun. He stared at the Audi, trying to picture it as his. Not only was the bodywork covered in scratches, but there were dents in the undercarriage that must have come from the flying stones. He had already damaged it. That hill was like an access ramp out of the civilised world and into a savage, lawless one full of ferocious, mysterious animals; a world that was no longer truly human.

He joined the little crowd that was moving towards the square. He was the only one on his own. All the others were in couples, with their families or in groups. It was then that he started to worry, realising that, at this very moment, Lise was completely uncontactable. Thinking of the lifeless phone lying in her handbag, he was suddenly panicked. As he stood at the edge of the noisy market, he even wondered if Lise had actually still been under the sheet earlier. He had not checked properly before leaving, merely glancing at her as he got out of bed, taking care not to wake her. He thought back to the ferocious dog from last night: would it come back? That’s if it hadn’t come back already. And why was it watching them yesterday? It was clear that it was the same dog down below in the woods, those yellow eyes that had watched them while they ate … Franck was suddenly soaked in sweat, prey to a host of idiotic fears. He calmed down, resolving to go and get a coffee; sitting in a bistro would be good for him. Yes, sitting down in a civilised place would restore his equanimity; he only had to get out of the packed market crowd and find somewhere.

He recognised this crippling anxiety and knew where it came from. It wasn’t just tiredness and uncertainty about the future, no; the sickening worry came from the complete impossibility of contacting Lise. For twenty-five years they had always been able to reach one another. Since living together, even when one of them went abroad they had always been contactable 24/7. Now, for the first time, that wasn’t the case. The fear also came from the house where he felt completely disorientated, and his distress at the thought of a three-week stay there. He realised it wouldn’t be as simple as going back to Paris now and then. He had planned to make as many trips as possible for work, but now he could see it was unthinkable. He could never leave Lise all alone up there with no telephone or neighbours, and with that dog roaming around. He was doomed to stay here, unless he could convince her to leave, to abandon the awful solitude. She may have been dreaming of this place for months, but he could easily convince her, even if he had to scare her …