‘It’ll be good for Nico to see you.’ A lock of hair was plastered to her face in the heat, and she pushed it out of her eyes. I stared at her, trying to drink her in, so I’d have something left when she was gone. If I hadn’t got impatient and borrowed the car, I told myself, I might have missed her for good. The thought made me shake.

‘Where is he?’ I asked.

‘In bed. Do you want to see him?’

I nodded.

Freddie walked me to the bedroom. He was solid and sympathetic, and I was suddenly overwhelmingly grateful for his presence.

‘How’s Sylvie feeling?’ I asked.

‘You know Sylvie – she’s made up her mind, and Nico can’t persuade her to change it. But I’m sure she feels bad about leaving him – she’s really fond of him, you know.’

I groped for a moment to understand. ‘She’s leaving him?’

‘She’s staying out here – or she’s coming back, anyway. She’ll take Nico to Paris, and get him settled in, treated, that sort of thing, then she’ll catch the next boat out. Edie’s happy, of course.’ He grinned. ‘I don’t need to ask how you feel about her decision, either.’

He pushed open the door and I went in. The curtains were drawn and at first I couldn’t see Nicolas, hidden too by the tears of relief that kept welling up in my eyes. Sylvie was coming back.

Nicolas’s breath was coming quickly but evenly, and I guessed he was asleep. I sat at his feet; Samson kept watch too, pacing the room. When Nicolas woke up, Samson moved closer, to where Nicolas could put a hand on his head.

‘Theo,’ Nicolas said weakly. ‘How nice of you to come.’ He lay back on his pillow and a coughing fit overtook him.

I filled a glass of water from the jug beside his bed and handed it to him.

‘Sylvie’s packing for you,’ I said. ‘Freddie says you’re leaving tonight.’

‘She always packs for me. She likes to put crushed flowers in to make my suits smell nice.’ He patted Samson’s nose, and the lion snorted. ‘I know my wife loves me, in her own way.’

I looked at the floor. There was silence for a moment, then Nicolas made a sound like a sob. I looked up and saw his cheeks were wet.

‘I tried,’ he said, but more to himself than to me.

There was a knock at the door, then the other three came in.

‘We come bearing gifts,’ Freddie said.

‘Enter, enter,’ Nicolas said. ‘I feel like baby Jesus.’

They laughed. Edie parted the curtains to let in some light, and I saw Nicolas scrub quickly at his face then sit up and put on a smile. Samson flopped down at his feet.