‘Robert?’ Howard called from the office. ‘Can you come here a sec? I’ve had someone on the phone wants to book a double funeral for next week. There’s a few logistics I need to check with you.’

The embalming was complete, so Kenneth looked much more himself than he would have done an hour ago; pinkish, not waxy yellow, plumped lips almost smiling, and convex eyelids due to the little caps over the eyeballs. When Kenneth was ill, William had twice delivered a casserole for him. He hadn’t stayed long, but served the food on a plate and helped him up from the armchair to the table. At fourteen, William had towered above Kenneth, and as he helped him from armchair to dining chair, he noticed what a very neat dome Kenneth’s head was, and wondered why he didn’t grow his comb-over long enough to reach all the way across. From his vantage point above Kenneth, William could see his wiry eyebrows, like feelers.

Uncle Robert and Howard were deep in conversation, and without thinking, William leaned across to the cosmetics bag and took the black comb. He swept the fine hair carefully across Kenneth’s mottled scalp, then trimmed back the longest eyebrows with the tiny silver scissors.

Robert came back in just as William had removed a solitary whisker from Kenneth’s left nostril.

‘William!’ Robert said. ‘What have you done?’

‘Sorry.’ William put the tweezers down.

Robert shook his head quickly, smiling. ‘I wasn’t admonishing you. He looks marvellous!’

‘Really?’ William looked back at Kenneth.

‘Really!’ Robert stood close. ‘You’ve tidied those eyebrows up without butchering them. And the hair! It’s perfect. He looks his very best self.’ Robert looked up from Kenneth and frowned at William. ‘He didn’t bother you?’

‘No.’ William smiled. ‘He was very polite and kept his eyes closed the whole time.’ They both laughed. ‘I liked getting on with it. No one watching.’

Robert patted William’s back. ‘You’ll be ready for an audience again one day,’ he says softly.

‘No, I won’t.’

‘That’s how you feel now, it’s still raw. I’m just saying, don’t rule singing out. Never say never.’

‘Never.’ William dropped the tweezers in the cosmetics bag and it was right then that the idea landed. ‘I want to be an embalmer like you and Dad.’

Robert let out a gentle laugh. ‘You’re fourteen! I’d rather see you out making friends than hanging around in here with me and Howard.’

‘I don’t want friends. I’m no good at it.’