‘Yes, thanks to Sadie.’ Evelyn’s fingers musingly stroked my hair. ‘She is a heroine. Always a heroine, Sadie is.’ She drifted away again, back to Penny, and curved the willowy arc of her body against Penny’s hips. ‘Hmm?’ she murmured. The kettle was boiling but Penny ignored it, turning her face instead with blind relief to meet Evelyn’s. Their lips just touched.

‘I’m going home,’ I said redundantly. Everything was all right here, for another night at least.

I turned the car round and drove to my own house. The television cast one baleful blue eye at Matt, asleep on the sofa.

NINE

There were three buses lined up at the school gates. Children swarmed on and off, yelling and shoving, while teachers counted heads against lists. Jack was already in his seat in the front bus. I could see him from where I stood with the group of parents who were still hovering between having said goodbye and actually leaving. He had hoisted his holdall into the luggage compartment, checked his backpack yet again to make sure that his precious binoculars were safe and submitted to my goodbye kiss by craning his neck to one side.

‘Have a lovely time,’ I told him. ‘I’ll see you in a week.’

‘Bye, Mum.’

He climbed the steps without a backward glance. My heart ached for his solitariness in the excited mass of kids and I regretted having encouraged him to go on the holiday at all. A week could be a very long time to a lonely twelve-year-old, as I well knew. I hung around on the pavement, having half-conversations with the other mothers, just in case he decided at the last minute to bundle himself off the bus and come back home with me. But he sat with his head bent, apparently immersed in his book.

Finally the bus driver climbed into his seat. A teacher stepped off with a clipboard under her arm and the doors closed with a hydraulic swish. When the engine started up Jack’s head lifted. He searched for me in the crowd, then crooked his arm against the window glass to shield his eyes from the easterly sun. I stood upright and waved, with a wide grin pasted to my face. Jack smiled back with his arm still curled against the window like a shield. At the very last second, as the bus turned away at an angle, he used this shelter to touch his other hand to his mouth and blow me a kiss.

I watched until the bus lumbered to the end of the road and turned out of sight. Then I swung round and almost collided with Mr Rainbird. It was too late to compose my face.

‘Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on him,’ he promised.