I stepped out onto the street, Charlie imploring me to be careful, and looked up and down the road. Apart from an elderly lady walking her dog, there was no one around. I went back inside and shut the door.

‘Come on, let’s get you upstairs,’ I said. ‘You’re shaking.’

The first thing she said when we got into my flat was, ‘I need a drink.’

She took a thirsty gulp of the wine I handed her and I steered her over to the sofa, sitting beside her, rubbing her cold arm.

‘What happened?’

She hugged herself. Her face was very pale. ‘I took a shortcut through the park again. I know, I know – it’s a stupid thing to do. But I thought it would be fine.’

I waited for her to continue.

‘I got about halfway through, just past the big house in the middle, and then realised there was someone behind me on the path. It was like they were hiding by the house and came out when they saw me. It was so dark I couldn’t see him properly.’

I squeezed her hand.

‘He followed me down the path.’ The words gushed out. ‘I didn’t really want to look back but it was like he was gaining on me, going really fast, and all I could think of was that he was a rapist so I started running and he started running too and I just made it to the gap in the railings before him and I got through and he came through too and followed me down the street until I rang your doorbell . . .’

‘Charlie, sweetheart.’

She was almost hyperventilating, and she clung to me on the sofa, shivering and crying silently. I held her like that until she calmed down, kissed the tear trails on her cheeks.

‘We should call the police.’

‘They’ll just say I shouldn’t walk through the park at night.’

‘Maybe, but it’s still worth it. What if he attacks someone else?’

I walked across the room to get my phone.

‘Please, Andrew. I really don’t want to call them. They’ll tell me off for going into the park after dark.’

I weighed the phone in my hand. She was right: it was clearly signposted that you shouldn’t enter the park at night. But I still thought it was worthwhile in case this man attacked someone else.

‘Plus he didn’t actually do anything, did he?’ she said.

‘All right,’ I said. ‘I’m going to phone them, say I saw someone go into the park, acting suspiciously. OK?’

She nodded.

While I waited for the police to answer I said, ‘I bet it was the same guy who I thought was watching us last night.’

Charlie hugged her knees to her chest. ‘Don’t say that. I don’t like the thought . . . that someone saw us having sex.’