A moment later the engine coughed into life. Lorrie, Katherine by her side, took the wheel; Irene and Neil scrambled off the boat and, practised now, untied the ropes from the bollards and then, at a call from Luke, pushed the boat away from the bank and jumped aboard. In the early morning, everything was clean and absolutely still; only the motion of their boat broke up the glassy water, stirred the perfect reflections of dappled plane trees and streaked blue sky. Through the grey hoops of bridges, half mirror and half real; past the vineyards with their turning leaves and bursting grapes; under low branches which brushed their deck.

‘Lock ahead,’ called Lorrie. ‘Béziers, Irene!’

Irene went and fetched her bag. As she passed Mickey, she leant forward and touched her lips to his clammy forehead. ‘Take care,’ she whispered, and he groaned and shifted his position; he stank of alcohol and sweat and his clothes were stained. He looked like the tramp who sat with his trolley outside Irene’s work.

On deck, she kissed everyone on their cheeks, except for Katherine who she picked up and hugged until she wriggled and asked to be put down. As the boat slowed, she clambered up onto the bank. Luke passed her her bag and she smiled at him, waved her hand at everyone else, and walked down the hill towards the town. When she looked back, she couldn’t even tell which was their boat among all the others queuing up for the lock. They all looked the same.

Thirty-three

He stepped right out in front of her, a thumb raised, and she jammed on her brakes and stopped a few feet from him. He slung his canvas bag over his shoulder and walked towards the car as if there was nothing more natural than that he should be hitching a lift from her an hour after they’d self-consciously said goodbye. She watched him coming in the rear-view mirror, and for a moment, she thought of driving away in a spray of gravel, leaving him standing there.

‘Where are you trying to get to?’ she asked as she leant over and pushed open the door.

‘You, damn it,’ he said.

He was panting slightly and there were circles of sweat under his arms. He must have run, she thought with satisfaction. She felt like a cat that’s got the cream; anticipation licked its way over her body, and a shivery thrill went through her.

‘I can take you some of the way,’ she said. ‘Climb in then.’

‘You sure you want me to?’

‘Yes.’

He threw his bag over the back seat and slid into the seat beside her. They sat there not looking at each other, not saying anything, grinning like two schoolchildren who’ve got away with something.

‘What did you …?’

‘I said I’d meet them at Montpellier airport, tomorrow evening.’

‘Oh.’ A day, she thought. We have one day together.