He grunted. ‘I suppose I deserve that.’ He was silent a moment. ‘It was our dream, you see, building our own place and raising our kids in a natural environment. At first, Carrie was just as passionate about it as I was. But then she got pregnant with Josh – well, it’s not easy, coping with a small baby in a tiny caravan. Last winter was really hard, we were broke … and the weather …’ He shook his head at the memory. ‘It was freezing cold, never seemed to stop raining. The caravan was damp. The mud was awful. Well, when we found Carrie was expecting again …’

Ah! I thought, something the glossy Sandrine didn’t seem to know …

‘She said she couldn’t go through it again, not unless we were living in a proper house. She decided to go back to her mum for the duration of the pregnancy.’

‘But she’ll come back, won’t she?’

‘I don’t know,’ he admitted hopelessly. ‘I suggested we modify our plans to build a more conventional house. The council might let us get on with it. But even that could take a year to build, longer if we get delays. She wants us to abandon the whole idea, sell up and buy a new property.’

‘And you’re not prepared to do that?’ I was feeling sorry for him by now, just trying not to show it.

‘Of course I will, if I have to. But I’m just hoping, once the baby’s born, if I can persuade Carrie to come back down here again, she might change her mind.’

‘I’m sure she will,’ I said, although I didn’t know if I would if I were in her position: having children changes things, changes people. Not that I know anything about it. In fact, I don’t seem to know much about love and relationships in general. It must be the Capricorn in me, perhaps I’ll get better at it when I’m younger.

‘So, we’re still friends?’ Paul asked. We’d deposited all my boxes outside my front door and I’d assured him I could manage them from there.

‘Of course we are.’

‘Give us a hug, then.’ He opened his arms wide and I let him envelop me in a big friendly embrace. And that was stupid, because, as he planted a brotherly kiss on my cheek, I felt the warmth and strength of his body, like an electrical charge. I had to resist the desire to melt my body against his, to brush my lips against that warm, tanned neck.