It was a far cry from her relationship with her own family. This was also a subject they had covered at length over their cups of tea.

‘What I don’t get,’ Ted had said vehemently whenever the vexed subject of Evelyn’s relations had come up, ‘is why they couldn’t just accept that you wanted to be an actress and then help you get there. To my way of thinking it makes no sense, driving you away like they did.’

‘They didn’t exactly drive me away,’ Evelyn said. ‘I left of my own accord.’

‘But only because they weren’t there for you. If I had kids I’d make sure they knew that I’d back them to the hilt, no matter what they wanted to do,’ he replied, angry on her behalf and without any hint of a doubt about his own parenting skills, notwithstanding his distinct lack of children. ‘And,’ he’d continued, warming to his theme, ‘why Pete and Joan have continued in the same vein now that your mum and dad are dead is a total mystery to me. I mean, who are they to dictate to you how you should or shouldn’t live your life?’

It tickled Evelyn that Ted would talk so freely about her siblings, even shortening their names, without ever having met them. Her brother Peter had never, ever been a Pete. She also loved the outrage Ted seemed to feel about the injustices done to her, not least because it was unique.

‘Well, you can’t really blame them,’ replied Evelyn, although she did. ‘They never understood me, any of them. But it’s okay, because I don’t ever have to go back.’

‘And when this new TV programme hits their screens they’ll see that you were right all along and have to eat their words.’

Ted had sat back in his chair, triumphant, and Evelyn hadn’t had the heart to tell him that her sister Joan didn’t even own a television set and so would probably never see the show.

‘How did it go with Julian?’ Ted asked her now, shutting his newspaper and folding it up.

‘Really well,’ replied Evelyn, nodding enthusiastically as she nibbled on a biscuit. ‘Rehearsals start next week.’

‘Finally!’ Ted said, but Evelyn shook her head.

‘Actually, it’s all happened quite quickly for television. But yes, it will be good to get started.’

‘And then you’ll meet all the cast. You’ve met the director bloke already, haven’t you? What about the producer?’

Evelyn felt her stomach turn over at the mention of Rory MacMillan. ‘I’ve met them both at various stages,’ she said briefly.

Ted picked a bit of biscuit out of his teeth with a fingernail. ‘What are they like?’ he asked. ‘I’ve always imagined TV types to be a bit pleased with themselves.’

Evelyn paused as she decided which line to take. For a moment, she considered telling Ted what she really thought, and why. It would be so wonderful to have someone to tell about the afternoon in the hotel suite, about how it made her feel. But if she did that then she wouldn’t be able to put the whole episode in a box in her head and forget that it ever happened. As soon as she told someone else, the whole ugly situation became real.