Peter drained his glass and helped himself and Jo to a refill. ‘Anyway, you were saying about your job?’ He was pointedly changing the subject back to me.

‘Oh, it’s fine,’ I said, giving a dismissive wave of my hand. ‘It’s just that it’s not quite as exciting as Ben’s job.’

Jo smiled at Ben fondly. ‘He’s done very well,’ she agreed. ‘And it’s to his credit that he seems to have kept doing well, even when things were a bit …’ She reddened, suddenly aware that she was about to put her foot in it. ‘Tricky,’ she finished lamely.

‘I am here, you know!’ Ben waved theatrically. ‘Hello!’

Jo laughed shrilly, clearly glad of the diversion from her faux pas. ‘Sorry, darling. But you know what I’m like, I can’t help bragging about how brilliant you are.’

‘Fair enough,’ Ben gave a resigned shrug, and we all laughed, loudly.

After a while I needed to use the bathroom. Jo saw me starting to get up and leaped to her feet. ‘I’ll show you where it is,’ she offered eagerly.

‘No,’ Peter said, in a voice that brooked no argument. ‘I’ll show her.’

‘Oh, OK then …’ Jo sat back down, looking a little nonplussed.

I followed Peter out of the blazing sun into the coolness of the house, watching his straight back as he strode ahead. I could tell just by his upright posture what the expression on his face would be. He didn’t turn around until we were in the hallway, at the door to the downstairs cloakroom. Although I was expecting it, the look he gave me still made me recoil. He gripped my arm tightly and hissed through gritted teeth. ‘What the hell are you playing at?’

I blinked deliberately slowly, buying myself some time. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ I pulled my arm from his grasp and rubbed it pointedly, whilst throwing him my most innocent gaze.

‘You might think it’s funny but it’s not. This is not a game and you have no right to involve my family.’ A sheen of sweat had broken out on his forehead and his skin was flushed.

I looked up at him, so pompous in his outrage and felt a wave of fury sweep through me. ‘And you have no right to cast me aside like a piece of rubbish that’s served its purpose and act as if I never existed.’

A look of genuine fear glimmered in Peter’s eyes. ‘Look,’ he began, running his hand through his hair distractedly. ‘Don’t do this. Don’t hurt the people I love most in the world.’

‘I think you’ll find it’s not me that did the dirty on them. Seems like a funny way to treat the people you purport to love.’

Peter’s face creased with pain, and for a moment I thought he might cry. It was a satisfying sight. ‘I’m not proud of it. Of what happened. But don’t take it out on Ben. He’s had a really hard time of it and you can have your pick of men – find someone else.’