But as glad as he was of their proximity, he didn’t feel that he was quite like them, any more. These types seemed pretty basic now; the things they wanted were predictable and straightforward. London to them was Madame Tussauds and pubs and a chance of getting laid. Beer, burgers, backpacking. Whereas Stephen felt he was no longer the same person he’d been before the time with the Clarkes. For instance, Cass had told him that when she was in London she always went about on the top floor of the bus – at the front for preference – so she could see the architectural details high up on the buildings. He’d never have thought of that, before. There were scrolls carved out of stone up there, and curling leaves; even statues. And Nick had told him about the little painted sketches of clouds that you could see for free in the V & A, Constable’s record of the weather and the skies. The museum could be full of visitors downstairs, but you could nip up the back stairs and have all those pictures to yourself. And afterwards you could go to the little Polish café by South Kensington Tube station and drink hot chocolate out of a tall glass and be scowled at by the fierce waitresses. And while you were in the mood for being insulted, there was a pub in Soho where the landlord specialized in being brutal. The Coach and Horses. People went there, just for the guy – Norman, did Nick say his name was? – to be rude to them. And around the corner from there was the French pub, a legendary drinking spot. Stephen had memorized all these things they’d told him. It was as if he had a different map of London now.

But he was lonely in the city and wished he had some company. The Clarkes were totally different from his family, but it was a structure he was used to: mother, father, two sisters. He fitted, being the fifth, as he did back home. He didn’t know what to do about Helena. She’d wanted him to ring her when he got to town, but that was before the thing had happened between him and Georgie. He didn’t know if she knew. He guessed not. If he saw her she’d expect them to go on like they had before, but he wouldn’t be able to, not now. On the other hand, crashing at her place would be an improvement on the hostel. And it’d be nice to see her. Also, she was close to Georgie and Cass and the family: she was someone he’d be able to talk about them with.