The front door opened. ‘Hello!’ he called. ‘I can smell hair.’ He walked up the stairs. ‘Have you been using those straighteners I bought you for Christmas?’

She smiled as his voice came closer and kept silent to build up the dramatic impact of her physical transformation.

‘I phoned Barney Cole and he told me you were home. I thought I’d give you…’ Thomas stopped in the doorway and stared at Eve. ‘…a surprise. Quite the other way round, then? Wow, look at you…’

‘What do you think?’

‘Your make-up’s really…’ He walked to her and kissed her on the lips. ‘That felt a little bit like I was cheating on you.’ Looking into her eyes, Thomas smiled.

‘You have my full permission to cheat on me with the blonde who showed up in our bedroom. Well, what do you think, lover boy?’

‘It’s you, but it’s not you. You look kind of different and you look kind of the same, which is just great. God, my head’s spinning.’

She took him by the hand and sat next to him on the end of the bed. She watched his attention drift to the dressing table and he asked, ‘Who’s the girl in the picture?’

‘Francesca Christie.’

He placed an arm around her shoulders and looked back and forth between her and the picture of Francesca.

‘When you look at that woman and think of what happened to the others, it makes me realise your operation’s totally necessary. It’s an excellent idea, in fact. But I can’t stop asking myself, why you? You don’t have to answer, Eve. We both know the answer to that.’

She rested her head on his shoulder.

‘Thank you,’ she said.

‘What for?’ he asked.

‘This lovely surprise, you turning up from nowhere, filling the emptiness I felt when I was alone in the house just now. Thank you.’

She placed her hand just above his right knee, a part of his body where she knew he loved being touched.

‘Thank you for not trying to pressurise me over decisions I make in work. Thank you for allowing me to do my job the best I can. Thank you for putting up with my absences. Thank you for being the best dad in the world. And thank you for waiting for me.’

She looked up at his face and pressed her mouth against his lips.

‘Did you like that, Thomas?’

‘I loved it.’

‘Would you like some more?’

He kicked off his shoes and unbuckled his belt.

‘I’ll take that as a yes.’

Eve stood up, walked to the window and closed the curtains.

She turned. ‘And this is what you get for being a really, really good boy.’

On the dressing table, her iPhone rang out.

‘Leave it,’ said Thomas. He pulled her down on top of himself and planted a kiss on her mouth. The ringtone stopped and her answer machine kicked in.