On Wednesday, Amistad was open again: tasting room and hydroponicum tours from eleven till five. Across the hospitality areas, day staff went to and fro in their uniform of Japanese denim jeans, Red Wing boots, white linen button-downs with sleeves rolled back, and dark-brown Harris Tweed vests. And, of course, all had zappers in their ears. 

Bookings had not dipped during the crush. Guests loved to see the grapes coming off the vines, piling up and being sorted and washed by hand. But by now everyone was knackered. The guests today were lovely, undemanding big spenders to a man, and yet, in that post-crush fog, every single person who worked at Amistad would have cheerfully launched them into the moon.

By six o’clock, Tina and Dylan had made a simple but enormous pasta supper to eat in the courtyard. Even Angie joined, which Tina was beyond relieved to see, although she avoided talking about CalTech when quizzed by Peggy.

Bette and Bella had taken the horses for their late ride and came past en route to the stables, the comforting clop-clop growing louder as they made their way down the baked driveway.

Tina’s tummy fluttered when she saw her wife. Bette Porter was born to sit on a horse. Except she didn’t just sit on it, she seemed to plug right into it, her hips and thighs moving in such  fluid synchrony that you couldn’t tell where beast ended and rider began. And then there were her hands. The way she worked the reins, the sinews in her forearms flexing, deltoids pressing against her shirt sleeves. And the gloves. My God, the gloves. Fine kid leather, caramel-brown, smooth and warm, moulded to her knuckles . . .

Artie shouted and grasped the air when he saw the horses.

‘Wow,’ said Dani, with a tired laugh. ‘That’s new . . .’

‘How was the ride?’ Peggy asked.

‘Perfect,’ Bette said, getting her phone out. 

‘I do miss it.’

‘You can still go, Mummy. Penny is an absolute darling.’

‘That she may be, Helena, but it’s been a long time since I got my legs open that wide.’

The entire group – even Joan Didion – looked at Peggy as one, their minds filled with visions that would be hard to erase. Thankfully, Artie yelled again.