Zack took us to Accident and Emergency, and he fetched Mars bars and coffees and poured brandy into them from a hip flask and kept us entertained while Marcus waited to be seen, but it was Rob who invited us to the manor. He phoned Zack while the doctor, having checked the x-rays and given Marcus a shot of something, dug four lead pellets out of him. Afterward, I washed them off and slipped them into his pocket.

“Now you can tell everyone about that time you got shot.”

“Back in ’Nam.”

“Cheltenham.” It was an old local joke.

When he was patched up, Marcus shook the doctor’s hand and then walked gingerly back to the car with Zack and me dancing attendance.

“Rob wants you to come for dinner tomorrow.” Tomorrow was a Friday, the seventeenth of December. “We’re all staying at his place. He says you’re to stay over, if you’d like, so it won’t spoil the drinking. There’s umpteen bedrooms and Priss has offered to cook.” There was a slight hesitation in his stride. “He said to tell Andy that he’s sorry for being rude to her and that he wants to make up. He said to invite your friends, Peter and Em. David would love to see them. He said to say that you’re all welcome.” Zack’s voice was completely at ease, but his brow was slightly furrowed. It was a bit out of proportion in his book, I could see that.

“Get shot and win a weekend in a country house?” But before I could say anything else, Marcus cut in.

“What time?”

“Rob says eight.”

“Fine. We’re in.”

Zack took me home first. As I got out he said, “We dress for dinner. Just for fun, really, and you can wear whatever you like, but just so you know.”

“You sure you’ll be up to it?” I said.

Marcus nodded. He had to go pick up the van, and then he was going to drop in on his mum.

Once inside, I moved from room to room, keyed up but with no idea quite what I should be doing. After a few minutes the phone rang.

“Is he all right?” It was Em and she was livid. News spread fast.

“Reckon so. They had to scrape a few bits of lead out of him.”

“The whole thing is fucking stupid. It’s not a sport. It serves him right. It fucking serves him right.” It wasn’t like her to be so angry.

“David was there.”

“What?”

So I told her.

“And no explanation for the disappearing act?”

“Guess we’ll find out.”

“You want us to go then?” I heard her doorbell ring. She was home for another couple of weeks. Her parents were away visiting relatives in Salisbury. They’d taken Faye with them.

“Marcus is keen.” It wasn’t quite an answer. The doorbell went again.

“I best get that.”