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‘It must be Hannah,’ said Carly.

‘Yes,’ said Mira. ‘Let’s all read it together on my phone.

Hang on, there’s something else coming through, but it’s a little slow to download – perhaps the Wi-Fi isn’t back up to full speed after the storm.

.. Paola, Luisa, do you want to look at this with us?

’ The two women came over to stand at Mira’s shoulder, and they stared at the phone.

A photo of Hannah’s face filled the screen; behind her was a view of the beach, its white sand and balmy trees similar to the coastline the taxi had driven along yesterday.

Paola nodded. ‘ Sí . She is in Golfito.’

Mira scrolled to the message below, and they listened to her as she read it out, Hannah’s way of writing sounding strange in a British accent.

‘Hey y’all! Here I am at the beach, waiting for a boat to take me back to Osa after last night’s storm.

The water is still rough, the tide is high and there’s not going to be a boat back for hours!

I’ve tried to find a taxi to take me the long way around, but they’re saying there’s been a landslide on the road out of Golfito and it’s too dangerous to drive.

So it looks like I’ll be held up a little longer. ’

Another message dinged through on everyone’s phones.

Mira opened it and continued reading: ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t there with you last night, and that you’ve had to start the retreat without me.

But I hope you’ll still enjoy your experience at The Hideaway.

Over the next few days, you will be healing and becoming the person you are meant to be in your very own, bespoke programme!

In a minute, I’ll send instructions for what you’re doing today.

I can’t wait to see you all later – I’m doing everything I can to get back to you all. Bye, beloveds!’

Mira stopped reading. Ben set his glass down on the table with a thud. ‘I guess we’ll just wait here for her instructions , then,’ he said, a throb of sarcasm in his voice.

‘Let’s try calling her,’ suggested Scott. ‘She must be online now – she just sent those messages.’

‘Good idea,’ agreed Paola, picking her phone up from the kitchen counter, scrolling, then holding it to her ear. She waited for a moment, the group watching her expectantly, then shook her head. ‘Her phone is still turned off.’

‘Well, let’s send her a text, then,’ said Ben. He picked his phone up, just as another message tone sounded.

‘It’s Hannah again. These must be the instructions for the day,’ said Mira. She held the phone up for Paola to see; started to read it out loud.

‘Now, even though I’m not there, you can start today’s activities. I know this isn’t going to be the same as it would be if I was there with you, and I’m so sorry! But it can still be a wonderful day.’ That answered that then – they’d stick to Hannah’s plan.

Another message pinged and Scott read it aloud this time: ‘After this morning’s treatments, you will take a walk to our very own private waterfall in The Hideaway’s rainforest, where you can swim in the crystal waters.

Paola will tell you how to get there – it’s only a little over an hour away, and the walk is easy, even on wet ground.

Before you leave, please turn off your phones, laptops, smart watches and tablets and place them inside the hallway cabinet – they’ll be safe there until you return.

It’s so important to give yourselves this digital detox so you can benefit from being here!

Take the map of the rainforest from the cabinet near the front door, and the satellite phone, so you can contact someone in case of emergencies.

You’ll also find an eco-friendly spray paint – take that to mark the trees to help you find your way back.

Have an awesome time, and see you later! ’

Naya glanced around the group; she saw Paola frowning at Mira’s screen. ‘Would you mind if I take a look at your phone, please?’ asked Paola. ‘I need to check something.’

‘Oh, yes – sure,’ said Mira, handing it to her. Paola held both Mira’s and her own phone in front of her, her eyes moving back and forth between the two screens.

‘Ah – it is not the same number,’ said Paola in a low voice.

She turned to Luisa, spoke quickly in Spanish; as Naya watched, Luisa’s eyes widened briefly, but just as fast, she fixed her expression back to its usual smile.

‘It must be a new phone,’ said Paola. ‘This is a Costa Rican number, but the one I have for her is American. She did say she would get a local SIM – I’m sure that’s what she was doing in Golfito. ’

A gentle knock at the front door interrupted her before anyone could respond.

‘Good, Thiago is here,’ said Paola. ‘Luisa, let him in, please.’ Naya watched as Luisa opened the door and a tall, attractive man with dark hair and piercing blue eyes stepped into the house, carrying a pile of mats, blankets and cushions, as well as a heavy-looking black holdall.

He smiled at the group and gestured towards the roofed area next to the pool.

‘Please, take your time with your breakfast,’ he said, his voice deep and melodic. ‘When you have finished, come and join me outside.’

They did as they were told; Naya even managed to swallow down a few mouthfuls of a sweet pastry, before her stomach started to curdle again.

You remember the last time you felt like this, don’t you?

You’re going to have to find out for sure, sooner or later.

The words were a cruel whisper at the edges of her mind.

She forced them away, tried to focus on taking small sips of water instead.

Oh God . Perhaps she shouldn’t have come here, especially feeling like this. She thought she was doing this for all the right reasons – but was this just another one of her impulsive, reckless decisions? A decision that was impacting more than just her.

It’s just a few days , she told herself.

And remember why you’re here . It surged through her again – the wild hope she’d felt that this trip might give her some of the answers she needed on how to better help herself and her children.

That it was a chance for someone to take care of Naya for a change, instead of her looking after everyone else 24/7.

And in the meantime, the kids would be having a wonderful time, being spoilt rotten by their mamie .

This should be a good thing, truly, for all of them.

She was desperate to see their faces now, to hear their voices.

She hadn’t managed to call since she’d got here: they’d have been fast asleep back home when she arrived last night, and waking them just to FaceTime would have left both children unsettled for the rest of the day.

They would be finding it hard enough without her as it was; she couldn’t risk making it worse.

She hadn’t expected to sleep for so long on her first night here, but she was exhausted from the flight and the change in time zones, and her body clearly needed its rest.

So, when she’d got up this morning, she’d called her mother, but of course the kids were still at school – and soon she’d have to put her phone away and set off into the rainforest. She’d not get to talk to them until they were back at the house.

‘ Merde ,’ she whispered to herself. Maybe she should have set an alarm and called home at midnight, while they were up and eating breakfast. Why didn’t I think of that?

‘Naya? Are you joining us?’ Scott’s voice reached her; his gentle eyes were searching her out.

‘I just need a moment,’ she said.

Scott looked at the others, then back at Naya. ‘Can I wait with you?’ he said.

She smiled. ‘Be my guest.’

Scott took a seat at the table next to her; they sat there silently for a while, but it wasn’t awkward. It was comfortable; natural, somehow. He made her feel quite at ease.

‘How are you doing?’ he said, after a moment. ‘Is it hard, being away from your little ones?’

Her stomach clenched again at the thought of them without her – missing her, needing her.

‘Yes, it is, to be honest – it just feels so strange, leaving them.’ He nodded but said nothing.

She appreciated that: too many people rushed to try to make things better, to offer solutions to problems they understood little about.

But she rarely wanted that; she wanted someone to hear her.

To give her the space to talk, to hold her emotionally – physically too, sometimes.

She swallowed down another rush of nausea, and turned to look at Scott then, really look at him.

His eyes were a pale green with flecks of hazel and his face was tanned, weathered, as though he spent much of his time outdoors.

The gentle creases around the sides of his eyes and his cheeks made his kind face look even kinder; it was the sort of face that belonged to someone who felt things deeply and kept smiling anyway.

She liked it – him, perhaps – in a way that felt warm and good and unsettling all at once.

‘What – is there something in my beard?’ said Scott, moving a hand to his face.

Naya laughed. ‘Oh no – I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare at you like that.

I was just...’ She tailed off, feeling awkward suddenly, vulnerable.

Her expression always seemed to give her thoughts away – perhaps he could sense that she was enjoying looking at him; that she felt the first stirrings of attraction towards him.

He smiled. ‘It’s OK,’ he said, his gaze fixed on hers now, then quietly: ‘I actually liked it.’

Naya sensed the heat rushing to her cheeks, and felt a sudden urge to move away from this unexpected intimacy.

‘We should really go and...’ She pointed to Thiago and the others outside. Scott nodded.

‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘We probably should.’

They stood up and went to join Thiago outside.

‘Welcome, everyone, to the deeply restorative experience of the sound bath,’ Thiago was saying.

‘For the next hour, I am going to make a variety of sounds that will create healing vibrations, while you lie down, relax and listen. Try to still your minds and focus only on the sounds. You will finish this session feeling relaxed, refreshed and calm. Now, please take a yoga mat, blanket and pillow, and get yourselves comfortable. When you are ready, I invite you to close your eyes and breathe deeply as the vibrations wash over you.’

The group did as he asked, and Thiago began making a soft, pulsating sound with a singing bowl, its pitch and volume rising and falling hypnotically.

Listening to it, Naya felt herself drifting away.

She was exhausted, drained – and she knew it wasn’t just jet lag.

An hour later, blissed out to the point of stupor, the sound bath was over; Thiago was asking them to come back to their bodies, open their eyes.

Paola was waiting for them by the French windows.

‘OK, everyone? I hope you are relaxed. Now, take a cold drink, then you will go for a beautiful walk to the waterfall and bathe in the water,’ she said.

‘I have prepared some snacks for you to enjoy while you are there. You will have a wonderful time.’

‘Oh, sí ,’ said Luisa, appearing behind Paola and beaming at them.

‘It is one of the most stunning waterfalls I have seen in Costa Rica, and you can only get to it from Hannah’s land – the pool at the bottom is so clear, you can see all the fish!

When you come back, Isabel will come to give you a hot stone massage, then Hannah will be here for evening meditation, and we’ll serve you another delicious meal. ’

‘I don’t know,’ Mira said, yawning. ‘Shouldn’t we have a guide, if we’re going into the rainforest? Do any of us have experience trekking somewhere like this?’

‘I do, actually,’ Carly said, smiling. ‘I spent a month in the Amazon, a few years back – plenty of walking in the wilderness. I’m happy to guide us.’

‘Anyway, there is no need for a guide,’ said Paola. ‘The walk is not too far – like Hannah said, only a little over an hour to get there. The path is not very difficult. Everybody is fit and healthy, yes? This will be no problem for you all.’

Naya caught Mira’s eye, gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

She felt drawn towards this small, gentle woman.

There was a vulnerability to her, underlined with a quiet resolve.

Naya needed more of her composure: Mira looked as if she knew how to hold herself together; she didn’t look like the sort of person who was always running late, or who’d speak out of turn at work.

She didn’t look like the kind of woman who’d have a complaint filed against her for saying far too much, on impulse.

Unlike me.

Naya couldn’t let herself think about that now.

Mira still looked unconvinced about the idea of the hike, but soon seemed buoyed up by the others’ excitement as they chattered about the delicious selection of treats Paola had arranged for them and whether or not to wear their swimsuits now or change at the waterfall.

Fifteen minutes later, her bag packed with water, the food Paola had prepared for her, plus a towel, her first aid kid, some insect repellent – and with her phone stowed in the hallway cabinet as instructed – Naya waited for the others at the front door. Carly and Scott came down next, then Mira.

For several minutes, there was no sign of their fifth companion.

‘Ben? Are you nearly ready?’ Naya called up the stairs. A moment later, they heard his footsteps on the stairs, and he emerged, a little red in the face.

‘All OK?’ Carly said. Then, without waiting for an answer, ‘Everyone packed? I’ve got the map and the satellite phone.

’ She showed them the folded square of paper and a bulky black phone that looked like a cross between an ancient Nokia and a walkie-talkie.

Let’s hope there are no emergencies, then.

‘I found some torches in the cabinet too,’ said Scott. ‘Shall we take them in case there’s any plants or insects we want to get a closer look at?’

Naya smiled. ‘Great idea,’ she said.

‘And shall we have a look at the route before we go?’ said Scott.

‘Yep, here we are.’ Carly unfolded the simple black-and-white printed map, stamped with Hannah’s branded logo in the bottom right-hand corner, and traced a line with her finger from the house to an image of a waterfall with a circle drawn around it in red.

‘Just looks like one path the whole way. It should be straightforward.’

Naya swallowed back another wave of nausea. ‘Great,’ she said. ‘Let’s do this, shall we?’