Mel shook her head and I selected the comments.

Claire Pridmore

Where you been Ben? xx

39 minutes ago

Sally Ashmore

Sounds like you’re up to something lol xox

31 minutes ago

Tom Parish

Very cryptic buddy. I’m intrigued, tell me more . . .

14 minutes ago

I handed the phone back to her. Still smiling, she touched the screen and put it to her ear.

‘Bee? It’s Mel. Yeah, I’m fine. Alice is fine. Yeah. Have you looked at Facebook this evening? Ben’s posted, have a look. Says he just needs to get his head sorted. No. Has he phoned? You OK? That’s good. See you in a bit. Probably about ten. You too, bye.’

She put the phone down and looked me in the eye for the first time since the main course had arrived.

‘That’s a bit of a relief. What were you saying before? About the school trip?’

‘I was just – oh, nothing. How’s Beth doing?’

‘Better. Sounds like she’s calmer than this afternoon. She’s tidied up the mess he made the other night.’

‘Ben’s not come home yet?’

Mel shook her head and went back to Facebook, leaving a comment on Ben’s update. I couldn’t see upside down what she was typing. Her phone sounded with a text message alert and she read it, smiled, responded.

‘Who’s that from?’

‘Beth, saying thanks.’

She went back to Facebook. Most of her Peking duck was still on her plate, cooling and untouched. Mine was two-thirds gone.

‘Mel?’

‘Yes?’ She didn’t look up.

‘Why don’t you put the phone in your handbag for five minutes?’

She looked at me like I’d asked her to shave her head.

‘Alice might ring. If something’s wrong with William.’

‘You’ll still hear it ring. And nothing’s going to happen to Wills. He’s in bed, at home, asleep, front door locked, babysitter on duty.’

‘I won’t hear a text.’

‘If there’s a problem, she’ll ring.’

‘All right, Mr Grumpy.’ She made a show of putting the phone in her handbag, looking around the restaurant as if seeing it for the first time. Her eyes came back to me.

‘What do you want to talk about, then?’

Alice was watching Time Team when we got back, archaeologists digging bones out of some ancient burial ground. The novel she’d brought with her was in her lap: American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.

She stood up and turned the TV off when we walked in, as if she’d been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to be doing.

‘Was William all right?’ Mel asked.

‘Fine. He shouted out once and when I went in he was turned right the way round in his bed. Couldn’t find his pillows, but he was still asleep. I just turned him back the right way, settled him down and he went off again.’

Mel reached into her handbag for her purse.

‘You’re so good with him. He’d love to have you as his big sister, you know.’

Alice smiled shyly and shrugged.