Sam was welded to her side, as usual, and the other two were hovering just behind them. Clare was all slender tapered ovals – face and long feet and fingernails, and big blond Dan looked huge and square-cut next to her. They were very obviously not looking at each other and every movement they made betrayed their interest. Dan was sheepishly grinning and eager, and Clare was feline and supple with her head tilted away but her hips angled towards him.

‘How’ll you get home from this place? Where is it?’ Jasper asked.

‘I’ll see her home,’ Dan offered, to no one’s surprise.

‘Lo, you’re always going out. You’re always at some stupid club.’ Jack was frowzily trapped in his armchair, irritable with jealousy.

‘Chill, bruv.’

Then with amazing rapidity the four of them were gone.

Mel and I laughed together on the doorstep as I put my arms round her to say goodnight. Strong perfume, as ever. Lilies of the valley, muguet.

‘Did you see that with Clare and Dan?’ I said. ‘It looks rather promising.’

‘Doesn’t it make you feel old? It does me.’

I wasn’t drunk enough to consider the question seriously. ‘Hey. Maybe we are old and haven’t noticed. Are we ready to crumble to dust when the light touches us?’

She wasn’t laughing now. She was frail, standing on my front step with the door open and the night’s darkness at her back. Her eyes were on Jasper who was bringing Lois down the hall with her bag and her wrap and her small, slow steps. The wine had made Lois unsteady and she held tight to Jasper’s arm.

Mel whispered, ‘It’s not much of an exchange, is it? His lovely daughter’s fled with a giant into the night, and he’s left with my old mother and me.’

This was invalid’s talk, not Mel’s voice. She was weaker and sadder than I had realised, but I also knew for certain that the old Mel would re-emerge in time. Jack was right. She was too vivid just to fade away.

‘Go home to sleep.’

‘Oh yes, to sleep. I will.’ There was as much longing in her voice as there used to be for wine, or fun, or chocolate.

I kissed her on both cheeks. ‘Goodnight. I love you.’

‘And me. Thanks, Sade, and for this evening. Tell Penny I said hello, will you?’

Penny and Evelyn weren’t going out much at the moment. They wouldn’t leave Cassie with a sitter and even Evelyn didn’t seem to want to bring her to parties any more. Mostly they stayed at home in Penny’s house, looking after the baby and each other, and they didn’t seem particularly unhappy with that.

‘I will,’ I promised.