He got out two glasses and a bottle of whisky. He’d poured one huge measure when he stopped. ‘Where does the friend you’re staying with live?’

Thea’s mind went blank. She had it written on a piece of paper which was in her bag. Her bag was probably still in his once immaculate bathroom. ‘I can’t remember. I’ve got it upstairs.’

‘I’d better not have anything if I’ve got to drive you home.’

‘I can easily take a taxi.’ Thea felt that half her life had been spent in taxis just recently.

‘I’m sorry to mention this, but Toby said you spent all your money on the one from Knightsbridge.’

‘When I wasn’t kidnapping him, you mean?’

‘I’m sorry about that, too. It was Veronica who suggested you’d kidnapped him. It was how it seemed to her, you see.’ A rueful grin disturbed his serious demeanour. ‘Look at it from her point of view – you left her favourite gallery with her pet artist and her son. It did look quite like theft.’

Thea sighed. She could see that from Ben’s point of view it had its funny side, but while in time she might see the incident as amusing, her life was nevertheless in tatters: she’d still lost her artist.

She sipped the drink he handed her. ‘I think I’d like to go back now and not eat first.’ She made a rather pathetic attempt at a smile.

‘Thea–’

‘I’ve got a lot of thinking to do.’ She put down her glass. ‘I’ll go upstairs and get my bag.’

He was in the hall when she came down, holding his car keys.

‘I’ll just go and say goodbye to Toby,’ said Thea.

Ben nodded. ‘He’s in there. I’ve asked my neighbour to pop over for a few moments.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I’m not used to looking after children.’

‘You don’t do too badly.’

The moment was full of confused emotions, things unsaid. There was too much between them and too little. ‘I’ll say goodbye to Toby now.’

He opened the door to the sitting room without speaking.

‘Hi, Toby.’

Toby pressed something on his console and got up.

‘I’m off now. Ben’s taking me home. We’ve had quite a day, one way and another, haven’t we?’

Toby came over to Thea. ‘It wasn’t Dad’s fault, what happened.’

Thea put her arms round him. ‘No, of course it wasn’t. It was just a silly thing that happened. It wasn’t anyone’s fault.’

‘So you will go on being friends with him?’