‘OK,’ says Al reluctantly. ‘I guess I can come down for a weekend. I’ll come down on Friday evening. I’ll check train times but it’ll probably be quite late. When were you thinking of travelling?’

‘I’ll check train times for Saturday morning,’ Cosmo says. ‘Could you give me a lift to the station?’

Al begins to laugh. ‘Why not?’ he says. ‘But only if you introduce me to this girl before you go. And you still haven’t told me her name.’

Cosmo laughs, too, feeling quite weak with relief. He’s surprised at how important this is: this need to prevent Becks from crashing into the new life he’s making whilst he’s still holding on to everything he has in London.

‘Her name’s Amy,’ he tells Al. ‘You might even know her.’

‘Unlikely,’ Al tells him. ‘The parents only bought the house six months ago when Dad retired. I’ve hardly been there. OK. I’ll do it this once.’

‘Thanks, mate. I’ll tell Becks then. ’Bye.’

He ends the call but continues to stand looking at the creek, watching an egret patrolling the shallows by the old lime kiln, listening to the cry of the seagulls. Part of his mind is wondering if he can make a good photograph of the elegant white bird against the dark stones, the other is phrasing sentences that will prevent Becks from travelling west. He knows that if they have a conversation she might yet win; she’s so quick, so determined. The best way, he decides, will be to email her. He can explain that he needs to get his camera equipment, and that he’s been looking forward to them both doing a film and some supper somewhere. Or a show, if they can get tickets. She’ll understand that he has to make arrangements for Reggie but that Al has made plans to come down. He’ll present it as a fait accompli.

Cosmo walks back up to the house wondering why Al was quite so pompous about it all. After all, he and Becks have never hit it off. Al thinks Becks is too controlling and lacks humour. Becks thinks Al is immature and a bad influence. Cosmo tries to keep the peace, refusing to allow slagging matches.

As he goes inside to compose his email to Becks, Cosmo wonders if Al might bump into Amy and what would happen if he does. When he mentioned to her that he must make the dash to London she slightly hinted that she’s been thinking of a trip to the capital. He managed to turn it aside by asking her if she’d been before, and the conversation moved on to an exhibition she saw at the Hayward. Now, he must have something ready for that eventuality: a birthday of a relative, perhaps.

Reggie comes to greet him, tail wagging, and Cosmo bends to stroke him.