He opened his mouth to refuse, caught her eye and snapped it shut again, taking a chair and sitting in silence.

‘I don’t bite, you know,’ Jez said quietly as she left the room.

William breathed deeply. ‘But you have a bad reputation and I’m concerned for my mother.’

‘So would I be in your place.’

‘What?’

‘I’m well aware of my reputation, but most of that’s in the past. Just to set your mind at ease a little, I don’t drink or do drugs, and haven’t for many years.’

‘But you do still play the field. Look at all those photos of you with slinky young models.’

Sophie came in on the tail end of this. ‘You shouldn’t believe all you read in the gutter press, William.’ She set a piece of gateau in front of him, then moved on to set one in front of Jez. A quick trip to the kitchen brought her own plate and a jug of cream. ‘Serve yourselves.’

Jez passed it to her. ‘After you.’

She smiled wryly at him. ‘I have problems with milk and cream as well as cereals.’

‘It must make life difficult.’

‘There are worse problems.’ She shrugged and took a forkful of gateau.

William followed suit and closed his eyes in bliss. ‘This is wonderful, Mum. It’s a new recipe, isn’t it?’

‘Yes. I’ll give you some to take home for the children, if you like.’

He hesitated. ‘Kerry doesn’t like them eating sugary things.’

‘For yourself, then.’ She saw his hesitant expression. ‘She doesn’t let you have them, either, does she?’

‘She’s watching her weight. It isn’t fair to eat such things in front of her.’

Sophie put a forkful of gateau in her mouth before what she thought about her daughter-in-law popped out.

‘You can give me some to take home,’ Jez said. ‘You make brilliant cakes.’

‘It’s a personal challenge, to find ways of cooking delicious food with my limitations. I’m taking careful notes for that cookery book. It’d be fun to write it.’

‘Strange idea of fun, writing a different sort of book. A real busman’s holiday.’ Jez’s smile was so warm it made something inside her melt. She heard William mutter and forced herself to turn towards him. ‘Was there a special reason for you coming here tonight?’

‘We can discuss that another time.’

‘No, we’ll discuss it now, openly. You said Andi was right when you saw Jez here, so I’d guess you’ve come to warm me about the big, bad wolf.’

Jez let out a choke of laughter and tried unsuccessfully to turn it into a cough.

William looked from one to the other and Sophie was reminded of when he’d been a schoolboy trying to pluck up his courage to argue with her.

‘Give me a ring, then, and we can arrange another time, but if it’s to warn me about Jez, you’re too late. We’re seeing one another.’

He choked and she handed him a glass.

‘I can’t drink, I’m driving.’