“That was a magnificent meal, in case I didn’t make that clear,” he said. “Debt paid in full. What were you talking to the owner johnny about? You looked rather annoyed.”

Aaron exhaled. “A small annoyance. Nothing to concern you.”

Well, that was him told. “I beg your pardon. Didn’t mean to interfere in your private business.”

“No, it was a fair question. I just can’t tell you the answer.”

It wasn’t Joel’s affair and in truth he didn’t care; he’d just been making conversation. But the response was yet another Thus far and no further from Aaron, and it reminded Joel abruptly that he’d been a whisker from dropping the telegram into the waste-paper basket.

“So are you planning to come up?” he asked abruptly.

“Up?”

“To mine.” He’d made the invitation earlier, as he kept making all the running. He needed to hear something back, even just a clear Yes, please.

Pause. Then Aaron said, “I don’t think so.”

“Right.” That was a bucket of icy water. “Right. Of course. Entirely up to you. Just out of interest, what was the fucking point of this, then?”

“Point of what?” Aaron asked, and it was such an obvious bit of stalling that Joel’s temper exploded.

“Come off it. You didn’t invite me to dinner because you wanted company, still less walk up this way when you live in Lisson Grove.”

“You have no idea how much I wanted company.”

“Right, of course. So naturally you called me, a man with whom you have had frequent interesting conversations.”

“Yes,” Aaron said. “I enjoy talking to you, and I owed you dinner, so—”

“The funny thing is, I read your hand and saw a painfully honest man,” Joel said. “And yet on this subject, you lie like stink.”

Aaron gave the harsh exhale of exasperation. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“Well, ‘Last time was wonderful, shall we do it again?’ would be nice, and ‘I’m too much a coward to ask for what I want’ would be truthful, and ‘I’d rather be celibate forever than fuck you again’ would at least put an end to this farrago. I’d just like you to make up your mind what you want and stick to it, that’s all, because this pissing around is—” Painful, he wanted to say. Gutting. Leaving me lonelier than just being alone would. “Fucking annoying.”

“It’s not about what I want, because what I want and what I can have are extremely different things,” Aaron’s voice rasped. “It would be too great a risk for us both.”

“Then why did you summon me for this evening in the first place?”

“I told you! Why is that so hard to believe? Don’t you think you have any other worth in life than—than—”