‘I know, but – not like that Harry, oh you know what I mean. I find myself thinking I want someone to – grow old with, be my person, so I never have to have ludicrous experiences with strangers ever again in my life. I’m tired of being a cheery actress on my own who makes everybody laugh, even her own mother. I want –’ and she laughed but it was a sad little laugh ‘– someone to clean my teeth with.’

‘I know,’ said Harry, ‘so do I, so do most people. Or at least I think I do and then the idea of sharing a toothbrush disgusts me – I’ve been on my own too long, I could never live with someone new.’

‘I think of all the couples all over the world having Christmas together. And then there’s people like you and me and Emmy.’

‘Don’t go down that tired old road,’ said Harry firmly, ‘there are couples killing each other this Christmas day, there always are.’

‘I know I know I know,’ said Franny, ‘have a –’ she rummaged in the fast-dwindling chocolate box, changing the subject ‘– pineapple delight. Is it going to be really good, the Thomas Hardy, win lots of awards like all the Jane Austens do you think? I mean despite affairs and dramas?’

Harry didn’t answer for a moment, turned away from the chocolates. ‘It’s a funny profession Fran. I’m not finding it easy actually. I don’t want to turn in my usual eccentric performance, it’s an interesting character, I wanted to make him – special, individual. But we hardly rehearse, you work on your own these days. The young ones often paraphrase the language, take away its period flavour somehow. I’ve got a lot to say but I find myself learning the lines in a vacuum, and I make mistakes. Maybe it’s that I’m getting old.’

‘Oh Harry don’t be silly, you could do it standing on your head.’

‘But that’s just it, I don’t want to do it standing on my head, I wanted to do something – original, something I could’ve worked on with the director. I’m not sure if I’ve portrayed the character I wanted to portray, that I saw when I read the book.’ He sighed. ‘One of the young girls in it is a pop star.’

‘So what’s new? They think they’ll get bigger audiences with a pop star, probably do get bigger audiences.’