‘Beth was too scared to walk there,’ Saskia points out. Perhaps it’s her own fault for always banging the feminist drum, but it would be nice if her husband could appear a little more concerned about her welfare.

‘It’s different for Beth though, isn’t it? She actually does have a stalker – a genuine threat – so it makes sense that she wouldn’t take the risk.’

‘But it’s all right for me, you mean, your wife?’ Saskia suddenly feels boiling hot – God, this can’t be a hot flush, she’s only just turned 40 – and takes a long gulp of the crisp Chablis. At least he’s poured her a glass of wine.

‘Well, you offered to take Luna,’ he reminds her. ‘And you’re, I don’t know.’ He pauses to find the right words. ‘You’re more robust than Beth.’ He shrugs. ‘She’s just one of those people who’s a bit more fragile.’

‘Like a precious doll?’

‘Exactly,’ Tim says, relieved that Saskia is on the same page as him at last. She eyes her now half-full glass. She wants to throw it at him, bang her fists against his chest, remind him that she should be his precious doll, not Beth. But that would be overdramatic. And a waste of delicious wine. She takes another sip.

‘You could have walked Luna instead, you know; then you’d have been protecting both of us,’ Saskia ventures.

Tim clears his throat. ‘Sorry, what was that?’

‘Well, she’s your friend too, isn’t she? You’re happy to accept her hospitality when it’s a dinner date, or an impromptu barbecue.’

Tim scratches his neck as the realisation creeps over his face. ‘God, I suppose you’re right,’ he says slowly, looking sheepish. ‘How very unthoughtful of me. I’ll message Beth now, see if she needs someone to walk Luna tomorrow. In fact,’ he adds, warming to the theme, ‘I could do the morning walk for her too, save Beth going up there at all. Work won’t mind if I’m a bit late in.’

Saskia drains her wine and tries to swallow down her annoyance too; her taunt seems to be backfiring. ‘You’re never late into work.’

‘Yes but this is different, special circumstances. They’ll be fine about it, I promise.’

Saskia watches her husband pick up his phone and scroll, looking for Beth’s number, she supposes. She can tell that he’s excited at the prospect of being Beth’s saviour because there’s something Marvel-esque about his expression. He won’t be imagining anything more than that though, nothing romantic. Because he knows that he’s not in her league. He’s in Saskia’s league instead. Division three maybe.

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Kat