It was easy enough to find Sylvie. She was in a small room at the end of the corridor, standing up against the slab where a body lay stretched out. The room was tiled in white; a dirty-looking window high up in the wall let in grey light, and a single bulb hung low from the ceiling. There was a large ceramic basin in one corner, and an even stronger smell of formaldehyde, but no officials in sight. Sylvie was swaying gently with her eyes closed. She was dressed all in black – black silk blouse, black trousers, and a black hat with netting. Gwladys was there too, looking even puffier than usual. She scowled at me when she saw me come in.

I cleared my throat.

Sylvie opened her eyes and smiled at me. ‘I knew you’d come.’

I hadn’t seen her since my father’s funeral, and my body trembled with suppressed rage. I wanted to wrap my hands around her throat and at the same time throw myself at her feet.

‘How are you, darling?’ I asked, kissing her forehead, then moving to stand next to Gwladys. Just below my line of sight I was aware of a white mound, but I couldn’t face it yet.

‘Sad,’ Sylvie said. ‘But I suppose no one’s ever enjoyed life as much as Freddie did.’

Gwladys sniffed.

‘There was heart trouble in his family, you know,’ Sylvie said, looking back down.

‘They think he had a heart attack?’ For a moment I wondered if I’d dreamed the whole night, and my body felt suddenly weightless.

‘He fell trying to get away from the fire,’ Gwladys said. ‘That’s what they’re saying, anyway.’

‘He could have had a heart attack first,’ Sylvie said.

‘I suppose so,’ I said.

Gwladys narrowed her eyes at me. ‘You know, I wasn’t aware you and Freddie had made up. Just here to gloat?’

I shifted, smiling at her, then dug my heel into her toes. ‘So sorry,’ I said, shifting away again quickly. ‘Am I standing on your foot?’ Gwladys sneered at me, but she stayed silent, and I caught a flicker of unease underneath it all.

Sylvie caught my eye. ‘How did you hear?’

‘Edie told me.’

‘Everyone loved Freddie.’

‘Not everyone,’ Gwladys said.

‘He’s still handsome,’ Sylvie said. ‘Don’t you think, Theo?’