Colin had often joked that the only way he would leave Anchor House was when he was carried out in a box; well, to all intents and purposes, he’d got his wish. Poor Colin, she suddenly thought, he would have enjoyed being a grandfather. He would have relished the role, especially in retirement and with more time to devote to little ones. A wave of sadness swept over her that he had been denied the pleasure of knowing his grandchildren.

The feeling was soon snatched away from her at the sound of two sharp rings of the doorbell. Geraldine had arrived.

Bracing herself, Naomi went to greet her friend.

Her overnight case dumped at the foot of the stairs, her coat flung over the newel post, and Naomi at the sink filling the kettle, Geraldine cleared her throat.

‘You’re going to need something stronger than tea,’ she said.

Here we go, thought Naomi. ‘If you’re about to kick off with a lecture about Ellis, you can save your breath,’ she said. ‘Ellis is a permanent fixture in my life, and that’s an end to it. So if you don’t mind, tea is plenty strong enough for me.’

‘Good Lord!’ exclaimed Geraldine. ‘What on earth makes you think this is about you and Ellis. Although in some ways you are responsible.’

‘Responsible for what?’

‘For the decision I’ve made. I’ve left Brian and told him I want a divorce.’

Naomi was thunderstruck. ‘You’ve done what?’

‘I’ve left Brian. Now for heaven’s sake, forget about boiling that kettle and pour me a glass of wine and I’ll tell you all about it.’

In a state of shock, Naomi did as her friend said and took her through to the sitting room and the warmth of the fire. ‘Now tell me what on earth has brought this on,’ she said, when they were both seated.

‘The truth is, after my last visit here and seeing the change in you, I went home and looked at Brian through fresh eyes. And do you know what I saw?’

‘Whatever it was, I suspect it wasn’t good.’

‘It wasn’t. I saw a boring man who bores the pants off me. He’s bored me for years, it’s just that I’d accepted that that was as good as it gets.’

‘But Geraldine, when you were here you said that the two of you rubbed along quite happily.’

‘Oh, forget what I said then. It was all window dressing. I was merely trying to make myself feel more positive about the unutterable dreariness of being with Brian. While there you were, fresh as a daisy, bursting with joyful rejuvenation.’ She groaned. ‘Dear God, I can’t tell you how miserably jealous that made me feel when I drove home and found Brian stretched out on the sofa fast asleep and snoring like a warthog! Is it so wrong that I want some of what you now have?’

Naomi took a gulp of her wine. ‘What does Brian have to say about all this?’