‘No wonder I can’t achieve it then,’ said Isobel wryly. ‘I couldn’t in a million years be bothered . . . but you obviously can and the result is sensational. Lorna . . . we have a lot to talk about and some of it’s going to be testing for us both. Shall we have a drink and order before we get down to the hard bits?’

Lorna looked disconcerted for a moment at this direct approach. Then she nodded and shrugged. ‘All right,’ she said. ‘Whatever you say. This meeting is your idea.’

They made conversation in such a stilted manner that Isobel later told Giles it felt like pushing a car uphill. They talked about their parents and about Le Colombier, the house in France which Lorna had inherited and intended, she said, to keep as a holiday retreat; they talked about Lorna’s new life in Washington, about Brooke’s political aspirations and the possibility of his running for higher office. Eventually, in a tight voice, Lorna managed to enquire about Glendrochatt, about Giles and Amy . . . and then in an even tighter voice about Edward. Isobel tried to reply as normally as possible but the constraint between them was almost unbearable. When the waiter brought the menu, they ordered a bottle of house red and fettucine al Gorgonzola with a green salad for them both. When the food finally arrived, Isobel took a good swig of wine and decided to get down to the issues that had brought them face to face after so long.

‘Lorna,’ she said, ‘I’d like you to tell me the truth about Rory.’

‘He’s being impossibly difficult. I don’t think Brooke is prepared to put up with his scenes for much longer and I’m in a very tricky position. I gather Brooke said something to you about it on the phone?’

‘He did, but that’s not what I meant. I want you to tell me who Rory’s father is.’

Lorna hesitated. Then she said: ‘Did Brooke tell you that he wants me to send Rory back to South Africa?’

‘Yes. That would be a bit awkward for you, wouldn’t it, Lorna? You’ve let your husband think John Cartwright is Rory’s father, haven’t you?’

‘It seemed . . . simpler. And it could have been true.’ Lorna looked defiant.

‘Then why did you send Rory to me and hint that he could be Giles’s son – even though you’d denied it when he was born? You certainly waited till Pa had died before making any such suggestion, and you must have known that one glance would be enough to tell Giles and me what you wanted us to know.’

Lorna crumbled her bread roll and looked uneasy. ‘You both knew it was a possibility already.’