‘I miss them, that’s all. It’s not right. Fathers are important too.’

‘Of course they are.’

‘What happens then?’ asked Katherine.

‘Do you think they should spend most of their time with her? Just because she’s a woman? It’s easy for you to say that.’

‘I don’t know what I think. I really don’t. I think each case is different.’

‘They curl up and die, that’s what.’

‘Who wants more coffee?’ asked Lorrie.

‘They’ll forget me. They’ll think of him as their real dad, not me.’

‘I’m sure that’s not true.’

‘Why are you sure? How can you be?’ He seemed to genuinely want an answer.

‘Children love even bad parents. You’re a good one.’

‘Or some juice maybe?’ continued Lorrie. ‘Kath, how about a lolly?’

‘Am I? Why do you think that?’

‘Is anything left of the monsters afterwards?’

‘Just a puddle.’

‘Yuck!’

‘The way you talk of them; the way everyone talks about you. You won’t lose them.’

‘I feel I already lost them.’

‘I know. It can’t be the way it was.’

‘Is that what you feel?’

‘Kind of. Look. There it is.’ She pointed. ‘We’re going through there.’

The broad canal lay like a road ahead of them, tranquil and straight, shaded with vast plane trees. Mickey grabbed Irene by her forearm and leant towards her. His white smile hardened into something like a snarl.

‘Did you two get off together then?’

‘What?’ She shook him off and stepped back. ‘Get off ?’

‘I’m not an idiot, you know.’

‘Mickey, please.’

‘Why not me? Hmm? Why him and not me? What’s he got that I haven’t?’

‘Listen, this is ridiculous. You know it is.’

‘You knew how I felt. So did he. You’re humiliating me.’

He was aggressively unhappy, bellicose with self-pity and loneliness. His holiday was ending and he was returning to his empty life. She touched his hand pleadingly.

‘Mickey, please. No one’s humiliating you and nothing’s happened, OK? And today’s my last day. Tomorrow I’m going home.’

‘Whatever.’ He shrugged and picked up the binoculars again. ‘But don’t think I don’t notice. That’s all.’

Irene climbed back up the steps and sat beside Luke once more, laying a hand on his back for an instant. Even when she moved apart, she could feel the heat radiating from him. Katherine followed, sucking on a lolly that stained her lips and tongue a deep red. She picked up her book from the table and squeezed her body between them.

‘Read to me,’ she demanded.

‘OK.’