He had stayed on in the house–it was his only anchor–and decided to set about finding another position. But he was in his fifties. Not the best bet for any practice looking for long-term commitment. He had been scanning the British Medical Journal for six months and doing a bit of locum work, but nothing permanent had come along.

It was Ellie who had suggested that he should try to get out more. Told him that he was still a good catch. Said that he should try to find female company.

The idea appalled him. He had been a one-woman man. Never imagined that he would ever be ‘on the market’ again. And, anyway, where did you look if you wanted to find someone? He didn’t want to join a club–they’d all want to talk to the doctor about their ailments–and felt too embarrassed to join a dating agency.

And so the blanket of loneliness enfolded him still further until one night, seated in front of his laptop and surfing the net, he typed in the word ‘soulmate’ to see what would come up.

The results surprised him. And so did his actions. He had had three assignations now. The first was with a voluptuous widow from Winchester who looked upon him as a personal physician who could solve her bowel problems. He recommended Senokot and waved her off in her chauffeur-driven Mercedes.

The second was with a timid librarian whose interest in gardening, which he thought might prove common ground, turned out to be nothing more than a passion for her local landscape contractor.

The third, and most unsettling, was with a nymphomaniac from Southampton who said that she thought GSH meant Gas Central Heating. Having discovered the relative warmth of his house she had begun to divest herself of more than her opinion on the state of the nation, and Christopher had felt obliged to bid her a fond farewell. Next time he would heed the warning that suggested first meetings should be on neutral ground.

Friday nights in the Hare and Hounds were not the sort of high spot that he had had in mind for his social life. But at least they were undemanding and pleasant. Tiger had enough enthusiasm to lift him out of the mire when he was feeling low and self-absorbed, and Gary was always good for a laugh. Did he really have all those women at his fingertips, or was it wishful thinking?