One day he tells her that he used to be a teacher, but there was a misunderstanding and the school fired him. When she wants to know what exactly the misunderstanding involved, he tells her that he had tried to speak honestly and openly to the children about sex.

‘I felt somehow … hypocritical. That there’re all these images in the media but we’re still too buttoned-up to give our children any help to, to navigate that labyrinth. So I tried. But obviously I got it wrong.’

It is part of the truth, at least.

He doesn’t tell her that every time they sleep together, he is thinking about twelve-year-olds. A twelve-year-old.

She is instantly outraged on his behalf and it makes him feel terrible.

* * *

They meet in a Turkish restaurant near Earls Court. It is two months since her last course of chemo. Her hair is growing back, but she keeps her rakish flat-cap on inside. She is very thin. Conversation is difficult for both of them.

At last he says gently, ‘Was there something in particular you wanted to talk about? It sounded from your message as if…’

She pushes her broad bean pilav away, untouched. ‘How did you lose … we never actually – why, why did you stop working at Denham Hall?’

This is not what he expected. ‘I had a disagreement with the headmaster,’ he says lightly. There is no need to go into all that with her now. ‘All water under the bridge. I’m glad I left, actually. Why do you ask?’

‘Oh, no real reason, I was just wondering,’ she says. Her plan was to tell him what she knew, to ask him for the truth at last. Now she realises she isn’t going to.

He is looking at her. ‘I don’t quite understand, what was it you wanted to tell me?’

‘I wanted to … apologise,’ she says. ‘About the way things ended between us. And to say … well, that I made a mistake. Leaving you. Was a mistake.’ This she has certainly not planned to say. She is breathing heavily and her cheeks are flushed.

‘Are you okay?’ It is very painful for him to see her like this.

‘Apart from the whole John Malkovich thing, yeah, I’m good,’ she quips, rallying.

After that they talk more freely about their lives. He tells her more about his house in Glasgow, his life with the librarian. She says how pleased she is for him and describes, with lashings of black humour, her six-year affair with a married man (now over). They talk about the glowing reviews his book received and reminisce about mutual friends.

When they say goodbye, they hug for a very long time.

* * *

‘He’s out at church. He should be back in about forty minutes if you’re willing to wait.’