“I’m meeting Nick Jessop for lunch in the King’s Head.” Dan turned when he reached the door. “And incidentally, while I’m there, you can take the dogs for a walk around the block for me. And make sure you take a plastic bag with you in case Biggles decides to explode again.”

Josh’s face expressed acute revulsion. “Thanks a bunch,” he murmured, out of earshot of his father. “Dad?”

Dan had left the room by the time Josh called out his name. He returned, leaning a hand against the doorframe. “Yes?”

Josh’s mouth was set tight, as if reluctant to speak.

“What is it?” Dan asked again.

“It’s just . . . well”—Josh leaned forward on his knees and began flicking at one thumbnail with the other—“things aren’t going too well between you and Mum, are they?”

Dan paused briefly before replying. “What makes you think that?”

“I heard you this morning.”

“When?”

“This morning. Just before she left for work. You were talking at the bottom of the stairs.”

Dan raised his eyebrows. “Hell, I didn’t think that we were talking loud enough to wake you up.”

“I was in the bathroom getting a glass of water.”

“Ah, right. Well, I didn’t realize.”

“They’re not, though, are they?”

“What?”

“Things between you and Mum. You seem to be arguing all the time.”

“Not all the time.”

Josh flicked back his head dismissively, but never raised his eyes. “Who are you trying to kid?”

Obviously only myself, Dan thought to himself. “Everything’s all right, Josh. It’s just . . . a bit difficult at the minute, what with Mum working every hour of the day and me being out of a job. That kind of pressure is enough to put a strain on even the strongest relationship.”

Josh nodded, but Dan could tell that his son was far from convinced. “The girls are being a pain in the arse too,” Josh continued. “They haven’t been giving you much of a break recently, have they?”

Dan smiled at Josh’s unexpected concern. “No, not really. But again, I think it’s quite understandable. They’re both of an age when life can be, well, fairly traumatic, and I haven’t exactly improved their lot by having them move to a new school. They’re not particularly happy there . . . and, of course, they blame me for that.”

Josh blew out a derisive laugh. “That’s such a load of rubbish! You’re just too good to them because they’re girls. I was never happy at my school, but you just kept telling me to knuckle down and get on with it.” He reached down and began to collect up some of his clothes. “Or maybe the difference is that now you have time to realize that Millie and Nina aren’t happy.”