Molly arrived promptly at ten o’clock as arranged. Seeing Toby sitting at the kitchen table eating pancakes, she looked at Thea. ‘I hope you haven’t been spoiling him.’

‘Not at all. Toby and I like cooking, that’s all. And I think it’s important for men to learn the skills as well as women.’

As Molly had got through life perfectly well without cooking anything which hadn’t come from Marks and Spencer’s she lost interest. ‘Well, can we go through to the sitting room? There’s something I want to say to you.’

Typical, thought Thea. Most people who came into her house had to be prised from the kitchen with a crowbar. Just for this moment, her kitchen was as clean and tidy as it ever was, and Molly wanted to go into the sitting room, which wasn’t.

Molly had already refused coffee, so Thea lead the way somewhat glumly.

‘Now Thea, sweetie, I know you’re not going to like this, but I’ve had an idea.’

Thea cringed into her favourite armchair, fearing what the idea might be.

‘I want to put money into the gallery. Just until you’re on your feet. Then, if you want to pay me back you can. Otherwise I can look on it as an investment.’

This was what Thea had been fearing and now didn’t know how to answer. She was genuinely fond of Molly, but did she really want to be beholden to her, financially, when they hadn’t even managed a week’s holiday together without getting snappy?

‘Derek said you wouldn’t want to do it, but he also said’ – Molly paused – ‘that I was to tell you, that you were to tell him if I was getting too bossy.’ She paused again. ‘I know I can be.’

Thea suddenly felt overcome with gratitude and warmth. She went across to Molly and sat beside her on the sofa. ‘Oh, Molly, it’s so sweet of you. I don’t know what to say.’

‘I partly want to do it’ – she cleared her throat – ‘because I’ve decided to stop going on Tiger Tours. That thing with Gerald, it was because I was bored, really. I realised that when you and Rory – I mean – you didn’t have an affair with Rory, did you? Because you knew that you needed a project. I really admired that. Because Rory was – is – gorgeous. To turn down someone like that because there was something more important – it taught me …’

‘Oh, Molly –’

‘It taught me that that was what I needed, a project I mean.’

‘But what about Derek?’

‘Derek said, “Go for it.” After all, you need the money and I’ve got it lying around in an account that’s not paying much interest. Then Derek said it would keep me out of mischief and I suddenly worried that he’d found out about Gerald.’