He stopped stuffing clothes into the case and stood with his arms limp at his sides, his head bowed. ‘Of course I still love you,’ he said hoarsely. ‘It was only the thought of you and the girls which kept me going when …’ He heaved a great breath and finally looked at her. ‘But I can’t be the husband and father I was – or the man you need. I can’t talk to you the way I can talk to Roger – and have no desire to.’

‘But I’m more than willing to listen,’ she replied, taking his hand and kissing the stumps of his frostbitten fingers. ‘Please, Martin, trust me enough to tell me something of what you’ve been through so I can help. I so desperately want to understand.’

He gently removed his hand from her grasp. ‘It’s not a matter of trust,’ he said sadly. ‘And if I stay here, things will only get worse between us. I’m sorry, Anne, but I’ve inflicted enough pain on you and the children and have lost my way. I need to go home.’

Anne saw his set expression and knew that no amount of arguing would change his mind, but she was filled with dread that this separation might be the beginning of the end for her marriage. ‘Then we’ll go together,’ she said. ‘We can catch a later train once I’ve tried to organise someone else to take my place at the polling station, and packed the children’s things. Of course I’ll have the devil’s own job of trying to persuade Charlie to come with us, and …’

Martin silenced her with a soft, brief kiss. ‘No, Anne. That’s too much to do in a couple of hours. It’s better you stay, fulfil your election duties and take your time packing up and saying your goodbyes. The children will be less fractious and Charlie might be more amenable to the idea of going home to Cliffehaven if you don’t force the issue all in a rush.’

‘But I don’t want you to go without me,’ she managed through her tears. ‘We promised on our wedding day that we would stick together through thick and thin.’

He drew her into his arms. ‘It’s not a case of what you or I want, Anne. It’s what we both need. There are moments, even in the strongest of marriages, when it helps to spend time apart – to give each other breathing space to work things out.’

He held her tenderly at arm’s length. ‘I have to do this, Anne, not only for my sake, but for you and the children.’