‘You’re still coming to the wedding, though?’ Felix was wolfing down a piece of the Victoria sponge cake I’d just set out on a plate.

‘What wedding?’

‘William’s. You RSVP’d that you would months ago. You can’t cancel now.’

William was one of the village boys made good. He’d risen through the ranks of the law to become a top barrister in London and was getting married in the local church to a girl he had gone to school with. They’d dated as teenagers but drifted apart, and both had been through several relationships as adults. A chance meeting had set them back on the path to love and now they wanted to celebrate that in the place where it all began. The whole village was invited and I knew that included Jack.

‘Don’t even think it, let alone say it.’ Felix was unusually sharp.

‘What?’

‘Whatever excuse you were coming up with to not go. Faith and William are really excited that you said yes, and they’d be hurt if you didn’t turn up now.’

‘I wouldn’t just not turn up! Obviously I’d let them know.’

‘And you think that makes it all better?’

‘Felix…’ Poppy’s voice was soft, but her tone had a warning to it.

‘What?’ He turned to her. ‘I thought she’d got over all this.’

‘Got over all what?’ I said.

‘This whole bloody recluse thing.’

‘I’m not doing it out of choice!’

‘Of course you are! Everyone understood at first, of course we did. You went through a horrible experience, but you refused to get help and instead shut yourself away, missing out on events, special moments in the children’s lives, in our lives, in your own life…’ He shook his head. ‘And now this with Jack? You were happy, Lily. Why on earth would you throw that away? He was so good for you. He got you out of this bloody mausoleum!’

‘It’s not a mausoleum!’ Oddly enough, I was more offended at him criticising my house than the other things he was saying, perhaps because I knew the other things were true.

‘OK, fair enough. But you’re still locking yourself inside as though it was one. You started going out, Lily, you went to a bloody premiere, for God’s sake, and you survived. I’d even go so far as to say you enjoyed it. You started having a life again, Lily. And you were happy.’

‘I’m still happy.’

My brother scrubbed his hands up and down his face. ‘You are so not happy! You are the complete opposite of happy, and that’s all your own doing!’

I felt the tears burning down my cheeks. ‘Are you finished?’

Felix pushed the cake away. ‘Yeah. I’m finished.’ He stepped off the bar stool, gave the dog’s head a quick rub and left without saying goodbye. I jumped as the heavy front door slammed shut behind him. Poppy and I sat there for a moment in silence. My brother and I had argued before, but never like this, and he’d never once left without saying goodbye.