“You may kick me if I’m being officious. It’s only because I consider you a friend, Iris, whom I admire very much. I wouldn’t dream of coming between a man and his wife—”

“Goodness,” she said again.

“—but I’ve watched your distress in silence for the past few months, and I feel the time has come for me to butt in, as they say, because it may do some good. I beg your pardon. I’ll come to the point. We are all sinners, and I don’t judge a man for his sins, and we all drink perhaps a little too much in these circles, yours truly among the guilty. But Digby—stop me at once if I distress you—seems to have, shall we say, passed some point of no return, in recent months.” Philip peered into Iris’s face. “Do you hate me?”

“No. I’d be an idiot to tell you it’s not true.”

“I suppose what I’m asking is whether there’s anything I can do to help. Whether you’re aware of how much, and how dangerous—There’s talk of indiscretion, the kind of thing that can ruin a man’s career.”

“I’m . . . I’m so sorry.”

“For God’s sake, it’s not your fault. Frankly, I think the man’s a fool to go out drinking all night with the lads, when he’s got a woman like you waiting for him at home, and the children, too—wonderful boys. And I wouldn’t have said a thing—I didn’t mean to say a thing, not a word, but—well, there’s a story from a reliable source—the other night, at the Gargoyle—I’ll spare the sordid details, but perhaps one might be wise to convince him to spend all of August down in Dorset. Keep him away from chaps like Burgess and that sort. Good fresh air and family life, I think it would do him a world of good.”

Philip stopped and caught his breath, like a man relieved of a burden. He looked at her anxiously, and Iris gathered herself, because she hated to see Philip so uncomfortable.

“Yes, thank you. I think so, too. I’ve been trying to convince him, really I have. Because of course—well, I’m not a fool. You’re very kind, you’ve been so tactful, but I’m not a fool.”

Philip reached into his pocket and gave her a handkerchief.

“You see I’m arguing nobly against my own interest, because I should very much rather have you all to myself,” he said.

“You’re too sweet.”

“I hope I haven’t been a bother.”