Here’s what Camilla wrote to me. I’ve carried it in my wallet all winter. You’ll notice that it doesn’t begin with the usual polite form of address – that’s the sort of thing that being with an interesting woman means you have to go without.

Barney,

I have asked Lionel Turnbull to see that you don’t get this until I am well gone from the village. Don’t make trouble for Lionel. A lot of persuasion went in to getting him to take his boat out at night. He is a morning person by nature, as you know. But I pleaded desperation. And he didn’t help me to spite you.

Please don’t waste your time wondering whether Lionel or anybody else who lent a hand knows things about me or about you or about us that they shouldn’t. The best thing is for you to work on the assumption that they do. You’ll handle it.

I hope the melodrama of my exit hasn’t caused too much trouble for anyone in the village – except you, that is. I wanted you to experience some genuine grief on my behalf, just once. I don’t mean that other stuff. But we don’t have to go over all that again. The other reasons for my leaving the way I have are between me and Max, and Max and Jeannie, and are nothing to do with you.

Max is with me. We’ll be in France for a while and then I don’t know what. I don’t expect you to bother to follow us. You know your French isn’t up to it.

I’ll arrange to have my things collected when I know what I want done with them. I won’t put you to any trouble. I’ll send packers and so on. Stay on at the cottage if you want to. I think you should. I want you to have the School. I think it’s yours by right now. You’ll do it more justice than I ever could. As Max said, when I told him about your chimerical rival dream, you’re a natural. He only wishes that he might emulate you one night and dream himself lost in one of Robbe-Grillet’s labyrinths – a new man in a New Novel. You of course, as you’ve so often told me, are an old novel man yourself. So run the Hardy centre. You’re more suited to it than perhaps you realise.

Please feed the cats and remember to water the plants. Don’t punish them for me. Try to remember: I’m giving you the thing you’ve always wanted.