Dan felt as if his heart had relocated to his throat. He was finding it very hard to form words. He unscrewed the cap of a bottle of water; it was empty, but it gave him something to do. He held it to his mouth, took the last drops. It did the trick.

‘Of course, there is an alternative scenario,’ he said.

‘Yes?’ said Isabelle. ‘What would that be?’

He looked at her for the longest time, blue eyes gazing directly into brown, and said ‘I come with you.’

It was Christine who arrived first, not Ben.

‘There’s something I need to tell you,’ she said, placing her briefcase against the hall wall. She had come straight from court, dressed in a grey suit.

‘Come through,’ said Victoria. ‘He’s just got off to sleep. Look.’

They bent over the Moses basket (only five quid from Nobby’s Bargains on Mare Street) where Felix was dozing peacefully, his fists raised in a gesture of blessing, or surrender. Christine sighed and cooed. Maybe Adele had been right all along – a baby was money in the bank.

‘He’s beautiful.’

‘Yes,’ said Victoria, who hadn’t had much time to think about it. ‘He really is.’

‘Sleeping all right?’

‘Not bad.’

‘Feeding?’

‘So far so good.’ And he was; he knew exactly what Victoria’s breasts were for. ‘Would you like a coffee? It’s only instant, I’m afraid.’

‘That’s okay,’ said Christine. ‘You sit down. I’ll make some when Ben gets here.’ She looked at her watch. ‘In about twenty minutes. I hope you don’t mind me crashing the party like this.’

‘Not at all.’

I presume you have your reasons.

‘It’s about Massimo Rivelli.’

‘Ah.’ That wasn’t what she was expecting. Victoria picked up a baby blanket, folded it and smoothed it. ‘What about him?’

‘He’s in prison.’

‘Oh.’

‘In Japan.’

‘Japan? Oh. Right.’

Victoria carried on stroking. The baby snored quietly.

‘You didn’t know, then?’

‘About what?’

‘He kidnapped Isabelle.’

‘He . . . kidnapped Isabelle?’

‘And Maya Rodean.’

Victoria put the blanket down on the arm of the sofa, and went to the window, with her back to Christine.

‘It’s all right. They’re both fine. In case you were . . . wondering.’

‘Of course.’ Victoria put a hand to her brow. ‘I’m sorry. You must have been worried.’

‘Fortunately, I didn’t know about it. Please, Victoria. Sit down.’

Victoria drifted over to an armchair and ran her fingers over the worn velvet cover.

‘He was holding Maya to ransom, threatening to cut off her fingers if her father didn’t pay up. Isabelle just got . . . Are you listening to me?’

‘How awful.’

‘He tried to kill you and Felix. He very nearly killed Will. He threatened me, and set fire to his ex-wife’s house. Now this.’

‘Why exactly are you telling me this, Christine? Are you trying to tell me that you were right all along?’