His eyes moistened. ‘How are you coping, if I may ask?’

‘I just take it day by day,’ I said. ‘I miss him horribly, of course. It’s so lonely, rattling around in an empty house. Especially in the evenings.’

Evan nodded. ‘It’s just starting to sink in. When the family was here it was so comforting. Susan was surrounded by love during the last weeks. They sent her home from the hospital, you see, because there was nothing more they could do and she wanted to be with us all at the end.’ We’d finished the drinks; he gazed at our blood-smeared tumblers. ‘But they couldn’t stay here for ever, and now they’ve gone and it’s … well, it’s just hit me. That she’s not coming back. That it’s just me.’ He looked up, his face drained. ‘Thank God for work. I think I’d crack up, otherwise.’

‘It’s the only way to stay sane, isn’t it? Work.’

Evan nodded. ‘Though it’s odd coming home and having to use my key. She always left the door on the latch, you see, because she’d be here in the house. Or in the garden.’

He got up and walked to the back window. I got up and followed him. Side by side we looked at the flowerbeds, choked with weeds.

‘Her beloved garden,’ he said. ‘And look at it now. I know nothing about plants. That was her department.’ He shrugged. ‘And even the lawnmower’s died on me.’

We watched a cat slink through the grass. It paused, glared at us, and slunk on.

I said: ‘I’ve got a lawnmower.’

I arrived home and collapsed into an armchair. It took a while for my heartbeat to return to normal. The whole thing had gone far better than my wildest dreams. You’ve got to move fast. I’d done that all right. Evan and I had had a long emotional talk. When I left, he’d hugged me on his doorstep. On Sunday I’d load the lawnmower into the car and drive back to his house. It was working out surprisingly well.

And the man was a catch, no doubt about it. At my very first attempt I’d struck lucky. Tall and attractive, in touch with his feelings, large close family. Successful, too; I’d noticed the brand-new BMW parked on his forecourt, next to the row of stumps. And he loved animals, for God’s sake! He cured their ailments and, if that didn’t work, sent them peacefully to their deaths. What was not to like?

And I did like him—truly I did. He was open and honest; we’d made each other laugh. As we’d stood at the window, side by side, I’d felt a lurch of desire.

So why had I entangled myself with lies? The Susan lies were bad enough, but necessary. They were my entry into Evan’s life, and I’d made sure that my connection with her was so distant that there was no danger of further complications. That subject was now exhausted, thank God.