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‘I’ll get it,’ Matt said, a little too eager to be out of the way, in Zennor’s opinion.

‘Thanks. You know, some actors would pay a fortune for a husky rasp like this.’

Zennor tried to smile but was too apprehensive about what was to come.

‘I needed to be out here in the fresh air. I don’t want to be in a confined space. Not after yesterday.’ Sybil shuddered.

‘I don’t blame you. It must have been horrific to be so close to the flames.’

‘You should know. Matt tells me you rushed in to try to save me. You are far more of a heroine than I will ever be.’

Matt returned with a tray and three glasses. ‘Here you go.’

‘Thank you.’

He remained standing. ‘Do you want me to go?’

‘No, stay,’ Sybil said. ‘Please.’

Matt exchanged a glance with Zennor.

‘If Sybil’s happy about it, I think you’d better,’ Zennor said.

‘The first thing you need to know is that Matt is blameless in all of this. He’s a victim of people trying to keep secrets. So you must promise me, Zennor, that you won’t hold what I’m going to say against him.’

Matt sat at the table. ‘I’m not blameless. I did have a choice.’

‘Please, just tell me,’ Zennor pleaded, feeling sick with apprehension.

Sybil took a breath and lifted her chin as if preparing to walk on stage. ‘Have you ever wondered why I wasn’t at your wedding?’

Zennor frowned and her stomach churned. ‘Because you had an acting job in London. You were working that day.’

‘That much is true but I was so keen to have that job precisely because I didn’t think I should be at the wedding – or rather, because I knew I wouldn’t have been welcome.’

‘What? I told Mum and Trev how disappointed I was.’

‘And what did she say?’ Sybil asked.

‘I – can’t remember. Not much. I—’

‘Be honest.’

‘Oh, I don’t know. “Typical Sybil” or something. I thought she was annoyed that you were missing it even if you couldn’t help it.’ Zennor had been surprised that her mother was quite brusque about Sybil’s absence.

‘And Trev?’ Sybil went on. ‘How did he take it? Remember we’re being brutally honest now. All of us.’

‘I don’t remember him saying anything,’ Zennor said truthfully. She hadn’t been surprised about that because Trev didn’t care. He’d never been a fan of Sybil. ‘So why are you saying you wouldn’t have been welcome at the wedding?’

‘Because … your mum and dad would really rather I hadn’t gone. Trev, too, but your parents weren’t aware of that beyond his general dislike of me. If I’d turned up, it would have been awkward and upsetting for them. Most of all, I stayed away because I didn’t want to spoil your special day.’

She glanced over to Matt.

‘I managed that all on my own,’ he murmured.

Suppressing a shudder, Zennor said, ‘I don’t understand.’

Sybil coughed and sipped her water. ‘A few weeks before the wedding, and I am so sorry to tell you this, my dear girl, I was at a hotel and I saw Trev with a young woman.’