She’d put the earbud back in. Robin thought about pushing it, then turned and left.

‘I’ve always liked that about you,’ said her mother now, adding a half-teaspoon of low-sodium salt to a pan of potatoes. ‘You never let things drag on, just do your shouting and get it over with. Luke’s a good sulker but you never have been.’

‘I haven’t got the self-discipline.’

Christine moved the chopping board and knives to the sink. ‘There’s wine in the fridge door. You’ve caught me out – I thought you’d be back later so I’ve only just put the chicken in the oven.’

‘Let’s hope it’s one of Dad’s two-Crunchie days,’ she said and her mother actually smiled. What the hell was going on?

Whatever it was, she was grateful. Any more aggro today and she’d go over the edge. Maybe her dad had had a word. Apart from the glowering presence opposite, dinner was almost harmonious, if subdued. Just before Dennis arrived home, Di had called to thank Christine for the vegetable lasagne she’d left in her porch during the afternoon. ‘She said Peter’s had another rocky day,’ her mother told him now. ‘Not the heart, thank the lord, but they’ve been taking blood every few hours and there’s no sign that the new antibiotic’s doing anything. Now they’re worried about the dreaded S-word.’

‘What’s the S-word?’ Lennie asked.

‘Sepsis,’ said Robin.

‘Gran?’

‘Like your mother says.’

‘What is it?’

Christine glanced at Robin. ‘It happens when you’re very ill, when you’ve got an infection. Your body tries to fight but it can’t. It’s like poisoning – blood poisoning.’

‘Can you die from it?’

‘Yes, love.’

Lennie put down her knife and fork and looked at the table.

Robin floundered. Should she go to her, give her a cuddle? But Lennie was so angry with her, she’d probably push her off.

‘It was kind of you to take the food, Mum,’ she said. ‘Thanks.’

‘It feels like so little – I wish I could do more.’

‘Did you know she was vegetarian, by the way, or was that just luck, the lasagne?’

‘What? Oh – no, I did know.’ She took a sip of the half-glass of wine she’d let Robin pour her over an hour ago, surely the temperature of bathwater by now. ‘Di and I have had lunch together a few times over the years. She’s a good soul – I’ve always …’ She stopped, stiffened. Robin listened and heard it, too: footsteps on the path. A moment later, the doorbell.

‘I’ll go.’ Lennie pushed back her chair.

‘Are we expecting anyone, love?’ Dennis asked Christine.

‘I don’t think so. Robin?’

‘No.’

Silence apart from the sound of Lennie doing the locks, everyone waiting. Who came to the door unannounced in this day and age? At night.