No wonder he’d been up for having another baby. This way he got both the hostile teenager and the chance to start over.

Thankfully, he seemed to understand how I felt. I realised he wasn’t going to try and make me talk. He was putting up with me because I was testing him and if I was ever to begin to trust him, he’d have to earn it.

And there was a physical rapport between us that underlay everything else, that seemed unbroken: a kind of recognition. Even though we’d never had a chance to bond, even though the chances were we would never be close – not unless I had a complete personality transplant, and he did too – the tie was still there. I could see him in me, and even though I still wasn’t sure how much I liked him, it was shocking how right it felt to have him around.

Over the last dinner of the holiday he laid out a few more details of their plans for us. Top of the list was moving. Well, I’d known that was coming. But Mark confirmed my worst fears: his big idea was for all of us to move out of London and into his house in the country.

‘But what would I do there?’ I protested. ‘I’ve already applied to sixth form college. It’s all decided.’ I knew other people who were going – Molly, Jasmine, Toby Andrews, Brian Johnson. Not that I was bothered about Toby, but I’d kind of got used to having a boy with a long-suffering crush on me moping about the place.

‘I know it’s a big change for you,’ Mark said. ‘But there are lots of good sixth forms in Oxfordshire, too. I know you’re going to be busy with your exams when we get back, but I’ll get some information sent to you and you can look through it with your mum and we can go on some visits.’

Ellie was sitting there giving him her best hangdog glance, like, Remember me? Mark glanced at her and threw her a bone: ‘We’ll need to get a move on to secure decent school places for both of you.’

Ellie instantly perked up. ‘Will I be able to go on some visits, too?’

‘I should think so. We’ll have to see what we can do, in the time available,’ Mark said tightly.

‘Will we go to the same school?’ Ellie said with a slightly frightened look in my direction, as if even I would be better than nothing in a school that was otherwise filled with strangers.

‘That will depend on what we can sort out and what’s best for both of you. The whole thing’s actually a little bit more critical for Ava,’ Mark said. Ellie’s face fell. ‘I mean, in the sense that she’s got important exams coming up,’ he explained.

The waiter arrived to take our orders for dessert and coffee. As usual, Mark passed on pudding. Too proud of his washboard stomach. Mum abstained too, probably trying to avoid piling on the pounds before the wedding. Mark of the washboard stomach wouldn’t want a bride who was fifty inches wide. He didn’t order Armagnac with his coffee this time. As far as he was concerned, the need for Dutch courage seemed to have passed.