Sarah had just collapsed. In court, in the middle of a plea. She had found herself short of breath, faltered in her speech and then stared around her as if, all of a sudden, she had no idea where she was. She had tried to pick up the thread of her argument, despite her white complexion and trembling hands – the only sign that anything was wrong. Then her vision had clouded and darkened as the room closed in around her. Her heartbeat had slowed, and the blood had drained from her face, like a river shifting its course. She had collapsed to the floor, right where she stood, like the supposedly unshakeable Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre. She fell in complete silence. She had not called out in protest, or for help. She just sank to the ground, making no noise, like a house of cards, quite gracefully, in fact.

When she opened her eyes, a man was bending over her, wearing a paramedic’s uniform.

‘You passed out, Madam, we’re taking you to hospital.’

The man had called her ‘Madam’. Sarah was just regaining consciousness, but the form of address didn’t escape her. She hated being called ‘Madam’. The term was a slap in the face to every woman of a certain age. Sarah hated the word, which seemed to say, ‘You’re not a girl, or a young woman anymore, you’ve moved on to the next category.’ She hated forms and questionnaires that insisted she tick the box corresponding to her age. She had been forced to abandon the seductive 30–39 age group for the less attractive 40–49. Forty-something. Sarah hadn’t seen that coming. She had been just fine at thirty-eight, even thirty-nine, but not forty, no, she really hadn’t been expecting that. She hadn’t thought it would come so quickly. ‘No one is young after forty …’ She remembered reading Coco Chanel’s phrase in a magazine and closing it straightaway. She hadn’t taken the time to read the rest: ‘… but a person can be irresistible at any age.’

Miss. Sarah corrected the man immediately, as she sat up. She tried to get to her feet, but the paramedic stopped her with a gentle but commanding gesture. She protested – she was in the middle of pleading a case. An urgent and highly important case, as they always were.

‘You cut yourself when you fell. You’re going to need stitches.’