Sassy had always slept easily in the car. Indeed, as a baby, we had often had to take her out for a drive as the only way to get her to go to sleep.

‘He was a little better this morning but … It’s still only a matter of time. His heart is packing up.’

I glanced over to her and there were more tears in her eyes.

‘I’m so sorry.’

I drove on in silence again as we joined the M40 westbound towards home.

As we passed High Wycombe, Marina turned in her seat to face me.

‘Charles told me all about what you have been doing.’

‘It’s finished,’ I said quickly. ‘It’s done and dusted.’

‘But only until the next time someone asks for your help to sort out some wrongdoing in racing.’

It was now my time to stare resolutely out through the windscreen. She was right. I couldn’t change my spots.

I drove through the Chiltern Hills cutting at Stokenchurch and on across the Thames Valley towards Oxford before the motorway turned north towards Banbury.

‘I’ve missed you,’ Marina said.

I went on staring directly forward.

‘And I’ve missed not being there when you needed me. If only to look after Rosie.’

It broke the tension and I laughed.

‘So Charles told you about that too.’

‘Where is she now?’

‘I left her at home. I thought about bringing her with me, but Heathrow don’t allow dogs in the terminals, except guide dogs, and I didn’t want to leave her in the car park. I fed her early before I left. I also told her that you and Sassy were coming home, and she was very excited about that.’

Maybe more excited than me.

I drove on again in silence for a while, past the Bicester junction and on towards the motorway exit to home.

‘I love you, Sid Halley,’ Marina said, quietly but distinctly.

Now there were tears in my eyes. I blinked them away to see the road.

‘I love you more, Marina Halley … so much more,’ I said. ‘And things can be different. I think we should move nearer to London so you can come home every night. And we can also go to the theatre, and do the other stuff you love. I’ve already been looking at some houses on estate-agent websites.’

‘Maybe,’ she said.

Then she did something that had me in pieces.

She reached across and stroked the back of my left hand on the steering wheel.

‘I’ll just have to learn to love this as much as I love the rest of you.’

I couldn’t speak, and the tears were rolling down my cheeks. She moved her hand and wiped them away for me with her fingers.

I was so overcome and distracted that I drove straight past the exit for Banbury.

Marina looked back over her shoulder.