‘Louisa . . .’ he said again, louder, and was mightily relieved when she moaned softly and stirred. ‘It’s just after seven. I promised I’d wake you. You have to go to the hospital.’ He hated reminding her.

‘Adam?’ she asked sleepily.

‘No,’ he said. ‘No, it’s Christopher. I’m still here.’

She sat up suddenly, blonde hair tousled. She had nothing on and he couldn’t help noticing again how thin she was – painfully, scarily thin. He looked away quickly. She pulled the duvet up to her chin.

‘Christopher? Oh, of course . . . I . . . I remember now.’ He could see from her face that recollection was flooding painfully back.

‘I’ll get you a mug of tea,’ he said.

When he went back upstairs with it, she was sitting on the edge of her bed with a dressing gown on and had brushed her hair. He felt very rumpled, scruffy and unshaven.

‘Did you sleep?’

‘I took a pill as you suggested – went out like a light. Christopher?’

‘Yes?’

‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘Thanks for everything.’

‘It was nothing. Wish I could have done more. Is there anything else I can do?’

‘No, I’ll be fine . . . but perhaps you could just hang on while I have a shower and answer the phone if it goes? It might be the hospital and I wouldn’t want to miss the call. Dr Allandale said he’d get someone to ring early if the appointment had to be changed.’

‘Yes, of course,’ he said. ‘I’ll go and wait downstairs.’

When he got down to the kitchen, he hesitated for a moment, then picked up the telephone and rang Adam.

There were no more messages on his mobile but he wondered what there would be on the answering machine in the flat. Not that there was anything he could do yet anyway, he thought. It would be two thirty in the morning for Marnie.

He could hear the sound of water running upstairs when the telephone in the kitchen did ring. He picked it up. ‘Hello?’ he said. ‘Hello?’ But there was a click and the line went dead.

‘Who was that?’ asked Louisa, coming down a few minutes later.

‘I don’t know. I dialled 1471 but it was one of those “we do not have the number” calls.’

‘Oh well, thanks anyway. I’ll ring the hospital to check just in case.’

‘Darling Louisa,’ he said. ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve rung Adam. He’s on his way. I’ll just wait till he comes.’

At that moment the doorbell rang. Louisa ran to answer it and flung herself into Adam’s arms. Christopher quietly slipped away.

He walked to the bus stop at the end of the road with a very heavy heart; wondering what the future had in store for Louisa.