‘Jacques is in administration?’

‘He’s in charge of finance,’ she told him. ‘Oh, we have a finance councillor but Louise isn’t exactly smart. She does what Jacques says. Except for selling oil. Louise dug her heels in over that. So did we all.’ She fell silent. She was trembling, Ben saw, even though the day was hot. She was walking in the damp sand near the water’s edge. Here the water was a turquoise blue, clear to the bottom. Ben could see fish feeding on weed drifting in and out in the shallows. The beach was wide and golden. This place was indeed a tropical paradise. That such tragedy had come to it…

Lily must have been thinking the same. A tremor ran though her, and Ben took her hand.

‘He’ll be OK, Lily.’

‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered.

‘There’s no-’

‘I mean I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Benjy.’

He didn’t answer. He couldn’t.

‘He’s such a…such a…’ She took a deep breath. ‘He’s very much like you. Ben, if anything happens to him and you haven’t met him…’ She hiccuped on a sob and then seemed to regroup. ‘I thought I had the right,’ she told him. ‘I thought… It was me who was pregnant, not you, and I knew you’d be appalled. But seeing you here… He’s your son, Ben, and I should have made the effort. Even if you didn’t want him.’

‘Why would I not want him?’

‘What were we, Ben?’ she demanded, suddenly angry. ‘Babies ourselves. We were young for med school. We were young for life. You were so lit up about joining the army. You were off to save the world. Armies are used for peacekeeping, you told me, but it was excitement that was in your heart. Action. Drama. Sure, you didn’t want to fight, but you did want to go wherever there was action. And me…all I wanted to do was come home. My mother had sold everything she owned to send me to med school, and the islanders helped because everyone here needed a doctor. I was as excited as you were-but I was excited at coming home to help my people.’