‘You are young now.’

‘No one is young any more.’ It was true. The war had made them all mortal and ancient. ‘He was rather lovely. At least, I thought so. Not everyone agreed with me. Nanny hinted that he was an incorrigible flirt, untrustworthy. A tease. I thought I knew better. Yes, I could see he was spirited, but I thought I would tame him.’ She paused. ‘Or join him.’ She glanced apologetically at Howard, as though the idea was beyond ludicrous. ‘Yes, I did think that, and it was such a delicious idea. Back then.’

‘This isn’t Aubrey.’ He knew somehow it could not be.

‘No, before,’ she confirmed. ‘They dressed me in white and then left me to dance in the arms of physically unruly and emotionally inept young men. I twirled to the strains of orchestras belting out songs entitled “Dreaming” and “Yours Forever”. I can’t see how anyone manages to end well.’ He laughed but not heartily; he sensed that wouldn’t be right. ‘I got rather . . . carried away.’ She paused so that Howard could understand the full meaning of her words, and then admitted with a brittleness designed to drown self-pity, ‘But he wasn’t serious about me.’ Howard couldn’t see how that was possible. He was not an overly romantic man, but he knew enough of the world to understand that she was the type to captivate. Unilaterally. If she turned her mind to it. ‘After our . . . interlude, he proposed to another girl. Left me rather high and dry, I’m afraid. My reputation in tatters. I was very . . .’ He thought she was going to say unhappy; instead she said carefully, ‘Uncomfortable. Going against society is difficult. When Aubrey proposed, I was grateful. Relieved. Almost as relieved as Mother. So I married. I was saved.’ It was clear she was trying incredibly hard not to sound maddened, yet she was nothing but. She plastered on one of her brittle, unconvincing smiles. She did it too, he thought: smiled for convention not emotion. They had that in common. She shook her head a fraction. ‘Look at me now. I have a very comfortable life. So, rebelling never did me any good. If there is a moral in my tale, I suppose I am recommending conforming.’

Her life was undoubtedly comfortable. Two houses, plenty to eat and wear; her daughter would have a governess and a society wedding. These compensations were indisputable. He doubted they were anything more than that. Consolations. He did not believe she was happy, not truly.

But then who hoped to be happy nowadays? Maybe that was unfair. He was hoping for too much for her, asking too much of her. Although he did not believe she was content either. She was, he thought, more than a little angry.

All at once Howard understood the reason for Vivian’s visit. She had after all come to do Aubrey’s bidding, not just inform him of it. She would not withdraw his position as an essential worker, out of loyalty to his mother, but she would continue to try to persuade him to go to war, out of loyalty to her husband. He felt irritated that she had no loyalty towards him. He couldn’t expect it but he wanted it.