‘And you don’t think this is unfair on Becks and Amy?’

‘Of course I see that but …’ Cosmo hesitates.

‘You’re not going to say, “But it’s OK as long as nobody is being hurt,” are you?’

‘OK. OK. But after all, if neither of them knows, then neither of them is being hurt,’ says Cosmo.

‘What about you?’ asks Al.

‘What about me?’ Cosmo looks puzzled.

‘You don’t think that lying and cheating is hurting you? Making you a lesser person? Cheapening yourself?’

Cosmo stares at him, amused and slightly affronted. ‘Not being a bit holier than thou, are we, mate?’

Al shrugs. ‘Probably. Just putting it out there. You’d better go and catch your train. See you tomorrow.’

He gets into the car, reverses out and drives away, leaving Cosmo staring after him. As he heads off up the hill Al knows that he sounded priggish and he experiences a mix of emotions: frustration, irritation, regret that he and Cosmo parted so abruptly. They’ve been mates for so long and it would be crazy to fall out over something like this. Nevertheless, Al feels very strongly about cheating. He’s seen the result of it with the breakup of two of his closest friends’ marriage. In his view, nobody wins, and irreparable damage can be done, yet what can he do about it? It’s as if some kind of spell has been cast over his old friend and Cosmo’s caught up in the magic and the rapture of it.

As he drives, Al’s mind darts to and fro, seeking for some way out of the situation. Of course, in a few weeks’ time Cosmo must return to London, but will it end the affair with Amy? And how will she feel about it? Clearly Cosmo hasn’t told her the truth so it won’t be simple for him just to walk away without hurting her. And for the life of him Al cannot imagine Cosmo settling happily in Salcombe, giving up his work, which he loves, giving up the clubs and restaurants and cinemas that are so integral to his life. Al knows that part of his own distress is that he feels responsible. If he hadn’t persuaded Cosmo to come down to Salcombe it wouldn’t have happened.

As Al drives up the track and parks the car, an idea occurs to him. Perhaps he could invent some kind of crisis, plead the need for time off work and come down here to stay. Cosmo could stay on, or go, but either way his style would be cramped. Al considers this plan, wonders if it might work. He gets his bag and goes into the house to find Reggie.