The day of the launch had dawned under a jewel-clear sky.  Marine fog crept through the Rainbow Gap to hang low over Amistad, hugging the rolling hills and pooling in the valleys so the vines appeared as islands floating in a quiet, white sea.

By seven, it was burning off and Tina and Helena went for a run. Others appeared as they rose. Shane fed Artie oatmeal while Dylan and Alice set a big courtyard breakfast of warm croissants, home-made granola, bagels and huge quantities of fruit. Angie took Joan Didion for her morning constitutional down to the stables, up round the pavilion and back.

Bette and Dani, as the main architects of the launch, were glued to their devices, sharing every update, snag or tweak as it came to them. Before long Alice caught Angie’s eye and they snuck off to watch Traitors. Shane went to work on her playlist. Dylan had ‘calls’. When Tina came back after showering, she sat down for a minute, caught the mission-control vibe, grabbed food and skedaddled.

Around eight-thirty, Peggy made her entrance.

‘Good afternoon, Mother.’

‘Hello, Helena.’

‘Late night?’

‘Not at all.’ Peggy held out a mug, which Helena filled with coffee. ‘I’ve been talking with Peabody lawyers in London.’

‘Oh. Giving away my inheritance?’ Helena asked, winking at Dani.

‘Yes,’ said Peggy. Helena almost dropped the cafetière. ‘Well, you’ve done marvellous things without your family’s money for years. I didn’t think you’d mind.’

Dani had to turn away, so Helena wouldn’t see her amusement at the expression of complete shock on her face.

‘Bette?’ said Peggy. Bette looked up from her phone. She hadn’t heard the exchange. ‘Set aside an hour for me tomorrow, will you, dear?’

And with that, she picked up a croissant and glided back into the Old House. Bette and Helena looked at each other, nonplussed for different reasons. Then their zappers pinged: Concetta calling a punch down in twenty minutes . . . 

And a ticket for Tina from Karolina that was ten minutes old.

‘Tina, I swear to God,’ Bette muttered, getting to her feet so fast she had to grab Dani’s shoulder for balance.

‘Whoa, are you okay?’ 

Dani got no reply. Bette was already yards away. 

In the hydroponicum, she found Tina and Kurt harvesting tiny orange flowers and laying them in neat lines on pure white trays.