“Oh, fine,” she said, suddenly angry. “You were feeling guilty because you put me in such a bloody awkward position on Saturday night, so you bring me flowers and think everything’s hunky-dory. Now you can go back to your wife and children and forget about me again.”

“It’s not like that,” he said. “Really.”

“It seemed like that on Saturday,” she said, “while I was waiting for you.”

“I’ll phone you tonight,” he said, “ when Judy’s in bed. Will you be in?”

“Yes,” she said. “ Of course I’ll be in. Where the hell am I likely to go?”

But she allowed him to put his arms around her and kiss her, and it was only after he had gone and she was arranging the flowers haphazardly in water that she felt she had been deceived.

When James arrived home he found Stella calmer, returned almost to her normal self, though he could tell by her restlessness that she was still under considerable stress. She seemed to find it impossible to sit still. She had lit a fire in the living room and made him stand in front of it to thaw out, while she brought him whisky and slippers.

“You’re losing all the heat into the garden,” he said, nodding towards the window. “Why don’t you draw the curtains?”

But she refused. The ice in the moonlight was so beautiful, she said, and lasted such a short time. They should make the most of it.

“Where’s Carolyn?” he asked.

“In her bedroom, watching television.”

“You should be more careful what you say in front of her,” he said. “You hurt her at lunchtime.”

“Nonsense,” Stella said. “ She didn’t say anything. She’s a tough little lady.”

“No,” he said. “ She’s not as tough as she makes out. She keeps all her feelings bottled up and that’s dangerous. We expect too much of her.”

He was genuinely worried about Carolyn. Since the weekend she had not mentioned Alice and he found her silence unhealthy, even if it was easier for him than tears or difficult questions. He wondered if he had gone too far in talking about the girl. Stella usually reacted to any implied criticism of her ability as a mother with tears. But now she seemed strong enough to cope with anything.

“I expect you’re right,” she said. “ She’s so grown up now. I forget sometimes how young she is.”