‘When someone’s so awful to everyone, and sometimes sweet to you, it makes you feel special. But I wasn’t, obviously.’ She pushed away her plate. ‘The last time we saw each other before the separation, we had a fight – about orchestra conductors, I think – and he threw his drink in my face.’

Lucy’s eyes widened further.

‘I was wearing a hat with a little veil on it, and this maraschino cherry got stuck in the netting.’ She lit another cigarette. ‘It was so humiliating – I was just sitting there, soaking wet, with the cherry, and he was laughing, and I thought – he doesn’t care about me. He doesn’t care about anything but getting his way.’

‘Can you divorce him?’ Lucy asked.

‘I’m asking.’

‘We’re here,’ I said, ‘any time you need us.’

‘Thank you, darlings,’ Sylvie said, taking my hand, ‘that means a lot to me.’

I felt my heart give a familiar hiccup and looked over at Lucy. She was staring at something in the distance.

We left around five o’clock and rode home in silence. On the outskirts of the city I pulled over and took Lucy’s face in my hands, kissing her.

After a moment she pushed me away. ‘Someone might see us.’

‘Then why don’t we go for a walk in City Park?’

City Park was the public park by the Muthaiga, almost ninety hectares of forest, botanical gardens, walkways, open areas, a bowling green, bandstand, maze and a cemetery for veterans of the Great War. In the daytime it was full of people, strolling, riding bicycles or picnicking. At night it was completely deserted, although there were no gates to keep us out.

‘It’s dark in there,’ Lucy said at the entrance.

‘I’ll protect you.’

She let herself be led inside and in the direction of the pond. Twice something rustled in the trees nearby and she drew closer.

‘It’s just the monkeys,’ I said, laughing at her.

The pond was black and bottomless at night. A frog sat by its edge, croaking at us. It was the green of Sylvie’s dress. I gently pushed Lucy up against the trunk of a nearby tree.

‘No one’s going to see us now,’ I said.

She didn’t say anything, but her breath was coming very fast.

I kissed her, and after a while she kissed me back. I ran my hands through her hair, and along her throat. It thrummed beneath my fingers.

‘Theo …’ she said.

I kissed her harder. I wondered what would have happened if Sylvie hadn’t pushed me away in the car all those years ago, whether I would have known what to do. I took my hands off Lucy’s throat and ran them up her thighs instead, up and over her knickers.

‘Can I?’ I asked.

She nodded.