She was happy for them. She knew how difficult it was for anyone to find the one person they wanted to share their life with. Given that difficulty, the gender of that person was a detail.

Jude relished Karen and Chrissie’s company. They were serious about their work, but not about anything else. Often very funny together, both aware of life’s idiocies. And, in common with most gay couples she knew, nothing in their behaviour would have indicated their sexual orientation. If the subject came up, they would talk about it, but they never forced it on people.

The venue for the healing conference was not very grand. Leeds boasted many high-spec conference facilities, but the organizers were working on a limited budget, so the programme of events took place in a converted school. It was somehow in keeping with the alternative ambience of a healing event.

On the Friday afternoon and all day Saturday there had been an intensive schedule of talks, panels and workshops. They had attended as many as they could and, as they sat down in a city-centre pub that evening with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, Jude spoke for all three of them when she quoted a Gary Larson ‘Far Side’ cartoon. ‘My brain’s full.’

‘Tell me about it,’ said Chrissie.

‘It’s going to take me a long time to process all the information,’ said Karen.

‘It takes you a long time to process everything,’ Chrissie pointed out. ‘You still jump every time I refer to you as my “wife”.’

‘I’m afraid it doesn’t seem natural,’ Karen confessed. ‘Like all those women on Radio Four panel games constantly chuntering on about their “wives”.’

‘You can take the girl out of Fethering,’ suggested Jude, ‘but you can’t take Fethering out of the girl.’

Karen giggled. ‘I’ve a horrible feeling that’s true.’

‘What did you think about that feller talking on Rebirthing Therapy?’ asked Chrissie.

‘Didn’t convince me,’ said Jude.

‘Me neither. I thought he was a bit creepy.’

‘Alternative therapies have always attracted their fair share of creeps,’ said Jude.

Karen amended that to, ‘More than their fair share.’

‘Look at us two,’ said Chrissie, and they both roared with laughter.

‘I thought the guy who talked about Chinese Medicine for Mental Health was brilliant.’

Karen agreed. ‘They were so far ahead of us centuries ago. Treating the whole person, not separating the mental and the physical aspects. We’ve only recently caught up with the concept of holistic health.’

‘It’s something I’ve long wanted to explore in more detail,’ said Jude. ‘I think there are ideas there that I could incorporate into my own work.’

‘Me too,’ said Karen.

‘But …’ Chrissie interposed, ‘we don’t want to spend the whole evening talking shop.’

‘All right.’ Jude grinned. ‘So, how’s life in Ilkley? For you as a Southerner?’