‘That’s not quite the same,’ Colin said, but quite kindly. ‘Well, now, I’d better get home because my mum’s waiting to see this.’ He tucked the book into its case and slid the whole thing into a plastic supermarket bag that he drew from inside his mac. ‘I’ll be off, then.’

I handed him a sealed envelope. ‘Our invoice,’ I said discreetly.

He frowned and drew himself up. ‘What’s this?’

‘It’s our bill. For binding your recipes.’ I had given some thought to this tricky question. In the end I had arbitrarily decided on £110. This didn’t reflect anything like the amount of time spent on the job, but I felt that on the other hand it wasn’t an insultingly low figure and it also represented the payment we might reasonably expect actually to get from him.

His frown gathered intensity as he ripped open the envelope and unfolded the single sheet of paper. ‘What’s this?’ he repeated.

I explained again. Cassie was watching with great interest but Penny had suddenly got very busy with her Law Reports.

‘A hundred and ten pounds?’

‘That’s right.’

‘Books don’t cost that much. I know that perfectly well. Do you think I was born yesterday? Hardback books cost fifteen or sixteen pounds. The ones with pictures cost maybe twenty-five. I looked in Smith’s, you know.’

‘Yes, but that’s …’

‘You’re just trying to take advantage, aren’t you? But I’m no fool, you know. Oh no.’

‘Oh no,’ Cassie agreed, wagging her head just like Colin.

He took out his wallet and counted out two tenners and five pound coins. ‘There you are. That’s for you.’

‘Thank you,’ Cassie prompted me.

I bit the insides of my cheeks. ‘Right, Colin,’ I managed to say. ‘Thank you.’ I took the money to the till and rang up the sale while he tore the invoice into quarters and dropped it on the counter.

‘I know what’s what. I’m not one of these people who can’t even speak the Queen’s English, am I?’

He took his book and sailed to the door. ‘Bye, Cassie,’ he said, ignoring Penny and me. ‘I’ll be seeing you again.’

‘Bye-bye.’ Cassie beamed and gave him her wave.

Penny and I kept our faces straight until the door closed behind him. Cassie gazed at the two of us and then happily joined in the laughter.

‘I think you should be glad of the twenty-five quid,’ Penny gasped. ‘Andy and Leo bet me a fiver you wouldn’t get anything out of him at all.’

‘He’s a funny man,’ Cassie said.

‘He certainly is,’ I agreed.