At the end of the afternoon, he called Tamsin.

‘Cal? What’s up, you sound a bit strange.’

‘Just … had a bit of a tough day today. Let’s meet for supper.’

‘I’m having supper with my mum tonight.’

‘In town?’

‘At home.’

‘I can come and join you, can’t I?

‘Course. Why not?’

Callum made it back to London in just enough time to catch the florist on Kensington Park Road, where he bought a big bunch of Paperwhite narcissi for Tamsin and Roz.

‘Callum, darling, they’re gorgeous,’ cooed Roz. ‘Now we can throw out these ratty old roses.’ She gestured towards Chris’s roses, still in their vase in the middle of the kitchen table. ‘I know they’re not from you, because you’ve always had such beautiful taste in flowers.’

‘Mummy, you know you sound horribly snobby,’ said Tamsin.

Callum was frowning comically at the roses. ‘So who’s your secret admirer?’

‘They’re from Chris, you know he was here on Saturday,’ said Tamsin impatiently.

‘And he brought you flowers on Valentine’s day, the poor ignorant fool,’ Callum tutted. ‘Little did he know that in the land of Tamsin there is no crime more terrible than flowers on Valentine’s day!’

‘Oh for god’s sake, Callum, he was about to go to Afghanistan, Afghanistan.’ Tamsin began to lay the table, loudly and imprecisely. ‘Have you called him yet?’

‘No, but I will do.’ Callum came up behind Tamsin and wrestled her into a reluctant hug. ‘Don’t you worry,’ he said. ‘Chris’ll be fine.’ He felt strangely comforted by Tamsin’s distress: that she was making no effort to hide it surely minimised its significance. Besides, he couldn’t help but relish the prospect of six months without Chris.

These thoughts made him almost jovial. During supper he flirted cutely with Roz and even dared to ask her who it was she was seeing.

Roz looked quickly at Tamsin. ‘Who told you I was seeing someone?’

‘Educated guess,’ grinned Callum. ‘Honestly, Roz, just a guess.’

‘Hmmph,’ said Roz. ‘Although – as it happens –’ she looked at Tamsin again ‘– I am seeing someone. An old friend, in fact. We’re – how should I put this? – we’re rediscovering each other.’

Tamsin gave Callum a meaningful glance. ‘That’s great, Mummy,’ she said lightly. ‘When do we get to meet … this person?’

Roz looked uncomfortable. ‘I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet, darling. You know, when you’ve been hurt as deeply as I have, the next time something, love, romance, whatever, comes along – well, it makes you very cautious.’

‘It’s fine, we understand.’ Tamsin reached over to squeeze her mother’s shoulder. ‘Don’t we, Cal?’

‘Of course,’ smiled Callum, enjoying the complicity this little interrogation had engendered between him and Tamsin.