I didn’t resent her. I’ve never understood mothers like that, who are envious of their own daughters. After all, it wasn’t her fault that I was getting older. Though in a way it was. Having kids does wear you out. Especially if you’re doing it pretty much on your own. But anyway, the point was that I didn’t feel old on the inside, at least not yet. My body still worked in the exact same way. If anything, it was even more responsive. It might not look the same, but Mark worshipped it.

It had been a long time, since Sean. And actually, in all the years when Ava had been little, sex with Sean had never really been that satisfactory. I don’t mean to say it had been terrible. But I’d always secretly felt a bit like Sean felt he was doing me a favour, overlooking my post-baby flaws and fancying me anyway.

With Mark, everything was different. He wanted all the things Sean had never really wanted. Things I could give him. Myself included.

I put on my dress and a light coat, and hurried out of the flat.

We wouldn’t have long. I’d have to leave the hotel at five to get home in time to put the supper on. Ava could have done it, but I didn’t particularly want to give her the opportunity. I didn’t want the day to be spoiled by her looking at me accusingly to let me know she’d guessed what I’d been up to.

This was my time – mine and Mark’s, at last. It definitely wasn’t the time to be worrying about whether we’d run out of frozen peas or not.

I was due to meet Mark at three, and when I got to the hotel bar at five to he was already waiting for me.

He was well dressed as usual in a suit and tie – he was always dressed in formal work clothes when we met. Because he was fairly senior and spent so much time away from his office, he had almost as much freedom to manage his schedule and sneak off during the day as I did.

Usually when I arrived he was all smiles, but that day he seemed preoccupied and distracted. My heart sank. This might be just a bad day at work. Or it might be something more.

Then I remembered the news I had to give him, news that would turn his day around for sure, and I kept the spring in my step and my head held high as I crossed the bar to join him.

When I reached his table he stood up and pecked me on the cheek, and then sat down again as I settled opposite him. There was an empty bottle of beer and a glass with about an inch left in it on the table in front of him. He never usually drank before our daytime trysts. There wasn’t time. I’d never seen him have beer before, either.