And all this was pure gold, but Dan didn’t comment, he only looked away from Sheila’s smile and considered the fact that he and Alison really did need to address exactly where all this was heading. During his solitary sleepless night in Adelaide, he’d contemplated a future without Katelin, and it had been hard, but not impossible; loving Katelin was a habit, but maybe not a necessity – maybe not. She was strong and clever and resourceful, and she’d been a peerless mother to Alex, but he, Dan, had begun to accept, over the past weeks, something that he’d possibly always known: that she wasn’t the one he adored. When Alison had appeared in the bar of the Exeter Hotel, he’d feigned a kind of relaxed, easy pleasure at their reunion, but in truth, she’d bowled him over just like the first time. He was no fool, he knew all about the mirage of greener grass, the siren call of lost youth, but he also knew the pure joy he’d felt when he saw her again, and that the world was wonderful simply because it still contained Alison Connor.

Then Sheila started up again, a little impatiently, and decisively, as if she’d waited long enough for him to speak and would wait no longer. ‘Two things in life you need to remember,’ she said. ‘One: follow your heart. Two: if you ever hurt her, I’ll have your guts for garters.’

‘I never will hurt her,’ Dan said.

‘And will you follow your heart?’

He gave a small shrug, a rueful smile. ‘I’ll give it a go.’

‘And Katelin, is she the enlightened type? Will she understand?’

‘Ah,’ Dan said. ‘No, Katelin will be fucking furious,’ and this made Sheila howl with laughter, and the sound brought Dora and Ali out of the house to join them. Dora wedged herself tightly into the swing seat next to Sheila; Ali sat down on the low wall with Dan. He put an arm around her.

‘Sheila rates me,’ he said, very quietly, into her ear.

‘Dora does too,’ Ali said. ‘And I do, I rate you very highly, so it looks as if you’re all the go.’

They smiled at each other, but then his expression altered and he said, ‘Look, we need to talk,’ and she understood his tone at once, stood up again and held out her hand. Sheila and Dora looked at them enquiringly, but without offering an explanation the pair walked into the house and went upstairs.