‘I was lazy at university – not intellectually lazy, you know. I always found time for work. But emotionally. Can you be emotionally lazy?’ He looked up at them, but didn’t seem to expect an answer. ‘So there was this girl in our tutor group. Pleasant enough. Good-looking in a staid, country-rose sort of way. And she seemed to fancy me, so I thought, why not ask her out? She was from a good family, so my parents liked her. And I didn’t dislike her. It was all very easy, and I could give my energy to my books and at the time that mattered more than anything.’ He paused and took a breath. ‘After university we sort of drifted into marriage. I knew I didn’t love her or anything like that, but everyone expected it and it would have been very unkind, you know, to dump her once we seemed to have got engaged. So I just went through with it. As I explained, a sort of emotional laziness. Or cowardice. Perhaps that would be a better word.’ He stopped again. Vera poured him some coffee. She could see that Holly was wondering where this was leading. She was itching to tell the man to get to the point, but knew better than to interrupt in front of Vera.

George Enderby continued. ‘And it all seemed to be working out for the best. Diana didn’t need to find a job. Money was never a problem for us. She’d inherited from a wealthy grandmother. Horses were her thing: dressage. She’s really very good. She only just missed out on an Olympic place a few years ago. I do admire her. We both wanted children, and that was a disappointment. When it never happened, I mean.’ He broke off and stared out of the window at the traffic queuing in the Westgate Road.

‘That’s the background,’ Vera said. ‘And all very interesting. But it doesn’t quite explain why you’re in Northumberland pretending to be at work.’

‘Diana’s left me.’ They expected another torrent of words, but he paused again and then spoke more slowly. ‘I suppose I just felt the need to run away, and this is where I feel most at home.’ He put his head in his hands again. ‘I considered leaving her a few times. The relationship was never entirely satisfactory. So why do I feel so dreadful? So hurt.’

‘Male pride,’ Vera said briskly. She was curious about this strange marriage and would have liked to know more. Had the couple shared a bed, for example? Had they had sex once they’d decided there’d be no children? But she supposed that was hardly relevant to the inquiry and might be considered intrusive. ‘We need to know where you were when you were pretending to be at work. Where were you yesterday, Mr Enderby?’