Just as they were coming downstairs again, the front door opened and his mother walked in. Tom froze, feeling his face growing warm.

Her eyes seemed to miss nothing and the look she gave him was one of disappointment as well as annoyance. ‘My neighbour rang me at church to ask if I knew a limousine was at our door and a man was carrying things out of the house. Can you imagine how I felt? Why couldn’t you tell me to my face that you were leaving, Tom? Am I such a bad mother?’

Hayley began to cry and both children were now clinging to Tom’s legs.

‘I didn’t want to upset the children,’ he said, but even in his own ears, it sounded a lame excuse.

‘Instead you’ve upset me.’ She picked up the phone. ‘We’re doing this properly. I’m going to ring Gail and ask her to come round. You’re not leaving until you’ve spoken to her and got her permission to take the children away from here.’

Jez fidgeted round the hotel suite, played his guitar but couldn’t produce anything worth listening to.

Donna was out at the house; so was Kevin.

Craig was on minder duty today and was not noted for his chatty manner.

In the end Jez picked up the second of Sophie’s books. He hadn’t read many novels in his life, though he’d been forced to read a few at school. Those had always been miserable tales that depressed him. He’d not understood Shakespeare, whom he’d also studied in secondary school at the rate of one play a year. The only thing he’d enjoyed had been poetry, still did. He wrote his own lyrics and though he’d not class them in the same league as serious poetry, there were a few he was rather proud of.

It had surprised him how much he’d enjoyed the first of Sophie’s books, and this one hooked him into the story just as quickly. He found himself caring about the characters, intrigued by their dilemma, keen to find out how they solved it. And as she had promised him there was always a happy ending, he even managed to enjoy the characters’ tribulations en route.

He was so immersed in the tale he was surprised when Craig reminded him that it was lunchtime.

After lunch he gave in to the temptation to ring Sophie, even though she’d said evenings would be best. ‘Been writing this morning?’

She chuckled. ‘Yes. I was absolutely lost to the world. There were two phone messages left for me and I didn’t even hear it ring.’

‘Who were they from?’

‘I haven’t checked them yet. But I was just getting my lunch and when I saw it was you, I picked up the phone.’

He felt absurdly pleased about that. ‘I’m sorry I can’t see you tonight.’

‘I hope it goes well with your son. The children will be very tired when they arrive. Don’t be surprised if they’re whiny and cling to their father.’