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‘Thanks, but I know I must have been very awkward. In every way.’

He shook his head. ‘Not at all. I was concerned about you, that’s all.’

‘Well, I was embarrassed.’ She sighed deeply. ‘And I can’t totally guarantee it won’t happen again. The nightmare, I mean!’ she added hastily. ‘It hadn’t for months until I came here. Not that there’s anything wrong with the house. It’s stunning.’

‘There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,’ he muttered. ‘Nothing. I understand.’

He sounded sincere and he was being very kind but Katie knew that Arlo couldn’t truly understand how she felt. No one who hadn’t been trapped in the wreckage of that carriage and been choked by the smoke and terrified by the cries of pain and distress could truly understand.

During the rescue, and in her recovery, she’d been reliant on others for the most basic things: her meals, washing, transport; and although she was beyond grateful, she never wanted to be in any situation where she was trapped or not in control. Every minute was precious to her now and it had made her determined to live life her own way. That had meant she’d had to upset or hurt other people. Even those who loved her.

‘Were you badly injured?’ he asked so gently that she almost threw her arms around him again. Which would have been the worst thing she could possibly do.

‘I had four broken ribs, a broken leg and a head injury, plus cuts and bruises, but I was lucky. Three people died and dozens were more severely injured.’ Her voice faltered briefly. Pongo lifted his head from his paws and looked mildly interested.

‘Please, go on …’ he said.

‘Thank you. Well, basically, my friends saved my life. Along with the emergency services, of course.’

She tried a smile which must have been infectious since it drew an encouraging one from Arlo.

‘Afterwards, I had to move in with my parents for a couple of weeks and Jess came almost every day. She cheered me up, took me out, and when I moved home, she did all kinds of errands for me. I was very low, and then the nightmares started … I was in a lot of pain, but she picked me up off the floor.’

Arlo’s silence and focus encouraged her to continue.

‘Auntie Wanda had warned me not to get the train.’ Katie sighed. ‘She’s always been a worrier. I think she lost a lot of her confidence when my uncle died. She used to run an office for a builder’s merchants and was very good at it, but she’d recently retired when Uncle Ian passed away and all her confidence seemed to evaporate. I think she used to let him do a lot of the household stuff, the driving, DIY and even banking, and when he was gone, she felt very lost. It’s manifested in being anxious about – well, everything, really.’

He listened intently, not looking bored or desperate to leave as some people had when she’d told them some of the details.

‘Then Wanda was persuaded to go to a fortune-telling evening by one of her friends. It was meant to be fun but the fortune teller scared Wanda, saying she could see “an incident involving someone close related to travel and transport”.’

Arlo winced. ‘Oh, God.’

‘Wanda knew I was going to London and got all worked up about it. I laughed and told her not to worry and that the fortune teller was being deliberately vague and an attention-seeker.’

‘Unfortunately, she was proved right …’ he murmured.

‘Yes, and of course, Wanda’s now worse than ever. She worries about me, about my sister and the twins, about her son who’s in the Navy, about everything all the time. It’s all we’ve been able to do to stop her from visiting this awful woman again.’

‘Poor woman. She must care about you very much,’ Arlo said gently.

‘Oh, she does. Too much, sometimes. Wanda tends to project her fears and worries on to me but it’s not entirely her fault. Anyway, I’m hoping this holiday will prove we can all have a relaxing drama-free break. I can spend some time with her and encourage her to live a little. She’s such a kind person.’

‘I look forward to meeting her,’ he said without any sarcasm. ‘And the others who helped you.’

‘You’ll like Athene too,’ Katie said. ‘She did all the editing on the book I’d been working on and even wrote a few bits – but don’t tell anyone!’

He zipped his lips.

‘She fended off the publisher and was there for me all the time. She shielded me from all the awkward questions while I was recovering and then I found I couldn’t write at all. I normally never have writers’ block.’

‘You’d had major trauma. That would freeze anyone.’

‘I know but I felt so bad for feeling low when other people hadn’t come out of the wreckage alive. I ought to be joyful and happy and making the most of my life for their sakes.’

‘Survivor’s guilt is completely natural,’ Arlo said.

‘Yes, so they tell me, but even so, I did feel like the most ungrateful person in the world.’ She paused for breath. ‘But eventually, with everyone’s support, I healed physically and I began to creep back into my world. I started writing again and doing ordinary things like my own shopping.’ She smiled. ‘The anxiety and nightmares eased and slowly, I got back to …’ She hesitated.