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Pascal was at her side instantly.

‘Amber’s in hospital!’ Becky said. ‘Someone heard her phone and saw all my missed calls and…’

‘ Merde !’ Pascal exclaimed loudly.

Becky turned away from him, scrolling through her contacts until she found an old landline number. Hopefully Amber’s mother would still have the same one she’d had back in the day. Sure enough, it rang twice before it was picked up by a rather hesitant voice saying, ‘Hello?’

‘Mrs… I mean, Hannah, it’s Becky.’

‘Oh. Becky.’ Hannah’s voice was rather flat. ‘I take it you’ve heard about Amber.’

‘Yes. Oh my God. How is she?’

‘Well, she’s not in any danger. So you needn’t worry.’

‘What? Of course I’m worried. She had a heart attack?’

‘No. Not a heart attack exactly. Look, Becky, I understand you’re busy. Perhaps it would be better to leave this to Amber’s close friends and family.’ The remark was pointed.

Becky had gone to Amber’s house regularly when growing up, had always liked her mother.

She’d make them sandwiches or cups of tea or ask about their homework.

Even now, she probably saw her once or twice a year when she came to London to visit her daughter.

But in all the times she’d seen her, in all circumstances, she’d never been anything but polite and friendly.

‘Look, Hannah,’ she said. It felt odd to use her first name, even now. ‘I understand that this must be a very stressful time. But you know that I’m Amber’s close friend. Her closest. Can you please just tell me what’s happening? How did she… What happened? When?’ Her voice cracked on the last word.

There was a silence, then, and when Hannah spoke, her voice trembled. ‘Well, you know all about Rufus at work, I suppose?’

‘Rufus? Hannah’s manager?’

‘Yes. Nasty business.’

‘What business?’

There was a silence. ‘Amber didn’t mention to you…?’

‘She mentioned his name. She never said… I don’t know exactly what’s happened between them, no.’ Had Amber dated Rufus? Had a crush on him? All Amber could remember was that her friend had described him as a bit of an idiot.

Hannah was silent again. ‘Well,’ she said at last, ‘I’m surprised you didn’t know about the bullying.’

‘Bullying?’

‘Yes. Rufus has been targeting Amber for the last few weeks. Making her life a misery. And on top of all the stress she was already under, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back.’

Becky felt cold. If it had come to this, why had Amber never said anything? Surely she would be the first person Amber would reach out to ordinarily?

‘Oh God. What a bastard. But I don’t understand. You said she was stressed? I mean, I saw her recently and she seemed… fine.’

Hannah snorted. ‘Well, safe to say she wasn’t.

Amber’s been under enormous pressure for months.

She always struggled a bit with the rent for that fancy flat of yours, I suppose you know that?

And with all the threats from Rufus, she was terrified of losing her job too.

She started doing overtime, applying for extra work.

And I suppose it all became a bit… much. ’

‘Oh God, Poor Amber. Why didn’t she tell me?’

Hannah sighed. ‘Well, she tried. But you were so stressed yourself. And it’s harder than you’d imagine, admitting that you have financial problems. There’s pride.’

Becky’s face felt hot. ‘And she’s… it was a stress thing? A panic attack?’

‘No. Worse than that I’m afraid. Pain. Some unusual cardiac activity.’ Hannah reeled off these facts as if reading them from notes. ‘They want to run tests. Think it’s related to the build-up of cortisol. From stress.’

The last word sounded pointed. Becky opened her mouth to defend herself. She was hardly responsible for her friend’s stress levels after all. But then Hannah was worried. A worried parent. She was entitled to snap a little.

‘I just wish she’d told me,’ Becky said. ‘About Rufus, about the money.’

‘I think…’ Hannah said carefully, ‘Rebecca, I think she was probably embarrassed.’

‘Embarrassed?’

A silence. ‘Well, things aren’t perhaps as easy for her as they are for you. Financially. Her job… it’s good, but she has a lot of debt from uni. And the flat… well, she was worried about covering the rent from the start… But you were so enthusiastic.’

‘Why didn’t she say?’

Another silence. ‘It might be hard for you to understand. You have your mother. And now this inheritance in France. It’s very different for you.’

‘But…’

‘I’m not saying you did anything intentional. Lord knows when I was your age, I was 100 per cent occupied with my own life. I didn’t have time for anyone around me,’ Hannah said in a gentler tone.

‘I’ll come home. I’ll fly back today.’

‘You’d do that?’

‘Of course! She’s my best friend. I…’ Becky found tears in her eyes. She reached up and gently pulled the dressing from her eye. It would be fine. ‘How long are they keeping her in for?’

‘They said a few more days. They’re not happy with some of her readings. But as I say, she’s not in any immediate danger.’

This wasn’t as reassuring as Hannah might have supposed it would be.

‘What about her work?’

‘Rebecca! Her work isn’t important right now.’

‘I know. I mean – is someone investigating this Rufus bastard? Are they being OK? Paying her?’

‘She’s quit. The day before the incident. Something happened. I’m not sure what. And it was the tip of the iceberg. But I think… I think threats were made. About references. And the poor girl got into a state, wondering how she’d pay the rent, how she’d… survive.’

‘Oh, poor Amber.’

Hannah was silent.

‘Well, I can cover her rent for the foreseeable.’

‘It won’t be necessary. She’s coming home with me for a while. I’ll look after her.’ The clipped, defensive tone was back.

‘Oh.’ The Amber Becky knew wouldn’t be too happy with this scenario. But perhaps things had changed? It seemed as if she’d completely lost touch with how her friend was feeling. ‘OK. Well, text me the details of the hospital, the ward? And I’ll find a flight now.’

She ended the call and jumped slightly, seeing Pascal still at her side.

‘So Amber is very sick?’

She told him, her words stuttering and failing at times. ‘It’s my fault!’ she told him then. ‘It’s all my fault.’

He held her shoulders. ‘Becky, it is not your fault. Of course it isn’t. Oui , perhaps you could have listened more. But you would never hurt your friend.’

‘I have to go.’

‘ Bien s?r ! Of course you must. I can handle things here.’

She nodded and disappeared to her room, rapidly booking a ticket for the afternoon – thankfully there were plenty of flights – and shoving a few things into a bag.

She texted her mother: ‘Amber’s sick, flying to UK.

Will update.’ But ignored her mother when she tried to call.

She simply wasn’t up to talking, speculating. She needed to see Amber first.

When she reappeared in the café, Pascal was chatting to some men in the corner. He saw her and came over.

‘You have a taxi coming? I can give you a ride if not?’

‘No, I’ve booked a taxi. You’re busy.’

‘Will you be OK?’ he asked, brushing back her hair slightly and looking into her eyes. She blinked, hoping the tears would stay away. The last thing Amber needed was for her to fall apart. She needed to get to her. Then they’d figure everything else out.

‘I’ll be fine,’ she said. ‘Or OK at least. You mustn’t worry.’

‘Call me?’ he said, ignoring a customer who’d come to the counter and was tapping his hand slightly on the wood. ‘When you get there, when you are safe, when you have seen Amber?’

She nodded. ‘I’ll try.’

‘When will you be back?’

She had hoped he wouldn’t ask that question.

She wasn’t sure how to put the answer into words.

Couldn’t explain how the news of Amber had pierced through the bubble she’d been living in, exposing her trip to France for what it was.

A distraction from real life. She’d had a sudden yearning, when packing her bags, for normality.

Her normality. Life with Amber in the flat, her job.

Feeling on top of things. Being present. She’d even started to miss Mum.

Yes, the idea of Maud – and her miraculous return to life – had been intoxicating.

And she’d fallen for Pascal, she knew that she’d miss him.

But there was no way to knit these two lives together, it was all or nothing on both counts.

And Amber. Amber, who’d been there for her through thick and thin, needed her.

‘I’m not sure,’ she said at last, not ready to have that conversation. ‘I’ll know more when I’ve spoken to Amber.’

‘But for the launch, I hope?’

She nodded. ‘I’d like to be,’ she said, figuring that this wasn’t really a lie. She would like to be. Whether she was or not was another matter.

As she exited the building to wait on the pavement for her taxi, she stepped a little into the road so she could look up at it in its entirety.

The polished glass of the window, the warm welcoming light inside.

The light stone, the slightly sun-bleached shutters.

The open window at the top that she knew was Pascal’s room.

The other one, hers. Closed. It was beautiful. It had been a beautiful adventure.

‘Be careful, madame .’ The voice in her ear made her jump.

She turned to see a smiling Georges, then watched as his expression changed.

Clearly her face was still streaked with tears.

She tried to smile, not really wanting to talk about it to yet another person, not wanting to set herself off again. ‘You are sick?’ he asked.

‘No. No, I’m OK,’ she assured him. ‘Just… I need to get back to England. To home. My friend is ill.’

‘Oh no,’ Georges said, shaking his head in sympathy. ‘Your friend who was here? I am sorry to hear this.’

‘It’s OK.’

‘Perhaps we can talk, when you have seen your friend. About the café. I have a solution for you. I think one that will be the best for all of us.’

Was he really talking about this now?

‘Whatever you want. It doesn’t matter,’ she snapped.

Her taxi arrived then, its engine audible a good thirty seconds before it rounded the corner. She hoped it would get her to the airport in one piece. She had no idea what Georges wanted, but the last thing she cared about right now was the café.

Georges nodded. ‘Well, I hope to see you soon,’ he said, opening the door for her to slide in. He spoke to the taxi driver in rapid French, then tapped on the roof with his hand as if imbuing the taxi with the oomph it needed to get her to the airport in a timely fashion.

‘Sure.’ She tried to smile as he pushed the door to. Then allowed her face, finally, to fall.