If she’d been at home, she’d have ordered some groceries online and had them delivered, but Victor hated computers. Strange, that.

As they stood outside the cake shop she usually patronised, staring in the window, he suddenly grunted and pressed one hand to his chest. Then he fell before she could catch him, not making another sound or moving, just lying perfectly still on the floor.

Shock held her motionless for a moment, because she’d seen that look before and it hurt, it always hurt to lose someone you loved.

Bystanders rushed to help and she couldn’t even get down to hold him, because she was still using her stick for walking and had to be careful how she moved. And in any case, what could she have done? Nothing except say goodbye.

A complete stranger began CPR and another put an arm round Elise’s shoulders. ‘Are you all right, dear?’

The woman meant to be kind, but the tone of voice was so much like someone speaking to a child that Elise stiffened her spine.

‘Thank you. I’m as right as I can be when my dearest friend has just dropped dead.’

‘They might be able to help him.’

‘He’s been ill for a while. I don’t think he’d want to finish his life in a hospital.’ She gestured to the figure on the floor. ‘I’ve recently had a hip replacement, so I can’t get down to him.’

‘Come and sit on this bench. You’re looking rather pale.’

She allowed herself to be guided to the bench and watched the stranger who was trying to resuscitate Victor. The man wasn’t having any success and Victor’s face looked so peaceful, she nearly told him not to bother.

It had been quick, at least Victor had had that mercy.

There was the sound of an ambulance siren outside the small shopping centre, coming closer and then stopping. Two paramedics appeared in the entrance and a man waved them across.

They got out a defibrillator. She wished they wouldn’t do this to him.

Victor had said one evening, very quietly, ‘When I go, don’t let them make any heroic attempts to revive me. I don’t want to live as a half-man.’

Younger people wouldn’t understand that, but she did, because she felt the same. She didn’t want to live a half-life, dependent on others for everything, tied to a bed or chair.

‘Do you want to drive to the hospital with your husband?’

‘Yes. Yes, please.’ She didn’t contradict their error because Victor would have wanted her to stay with him.

He didn’t start breathing again and the paramedics looked at her, shaking their heads.

They were young enough to need reassurance, so she said quietly, ‘You did your best.’

At the hospital they rushed his body away and a nurse took her to one side.

‘Is there someone we can call to be with you?’

‘Yes. His nephew.’ She didn’t have Gordon’s number on her phone, so she gave them the name of the legal practice where he worked.