Thea felt so tired she could have lain down on the kitchen floor next to Lara and gone to sleep. She decided that the puppies were doing well enough with their mother for now. If they needed solid food, they could wait until the morning. Lara had a bucket of water by her and was now lying on an old duvet instead of just the stone flags, and seemed content, although her master had abandoned her. She was like a child who had got used to being dumped in strange places. She just settled down and got on with things, rather as Toby had done.

Thea turned at the kitchen door and decided she’d better write a note for the lodgers, otherwise they might have funny turns when they saw Lara and the pups. And they’d definitely make enough noise to wake them up. Having done this, she toiled back up the stairs, thinking about Ben. Now if he had been making extravagant promises in exchange for a night in her arms, how would she have reacted? It was a little lowering to reflect that he wouldn’t have to offer her anything, apart from the night in his arms. And she didn’t know him as well as she knew Rory.

Just before she went to sleep, Thea realised that Rory had gone and not left her an address in London. ‘I’m sure it’ll be fine,’ she murmured into her pillow. ‘He’s probably just visiting his aunties.’

Thea got up very early the following morning. The puppies all bumbled around while Thea showed Lara the tiny garden which was up a flight of rather narrow stone steps. Lara negotiated them easily, squatted and then made Thea send Rory messages of rage. How could he have left her with Lara and the pups when the dog did turds which wouldn’t have shamed an elephant? She lived in a town, for goodness’ sake! Pursing her lips and trying not to breathe through her nose, Thea rummaged in the garden shed and found a shovel. By the time she had dealt with Lara’s offering she was seriously considering ringing the RSPCA. Lara and her pups would look lovely on Pet Rescue. When she’d washed her hands and gone back into the kitchen to give Lara her breakfast, she’d changed her mind. The pups moved slowly about like those giant blow-up puppets of sumo wrestlers, only in miniature.

The pet shop opened early. She bought a book and realised she’d have to look after the pups herself, even if she had to take them backwards and forwards to the gallery with her in the car.