Jude stood up. “I should go.”

“What’s the time?”

Jude checked her phone. “Twenty to five.”

“Fuck. Irina and Vin said they’d be back by now to look after Alfie. They promised.”

“Are you supposed to be somewhere?”

“I was going skating. It’s my thing. I go every Saturday afternoon with my sister, come rain or shine. We’ve done it for years. Everyone was telling me how important it was I went today: a tiny piece of something normal in all this awfulness. And then they don’t even bother to turn up. What am I supposed to do?” As she said this, her eyes slid to Jude. “I don’t suppose?” she said. “Just until they arrive?”

How could Danny think of leaving her son with her?

“Are you serious?”

“It’ll be fine. Read to him. Play hide-and-seek. Vin or Irina will be here any minute. I just need to grab my stuff and run, or I’ll miss my slot.”

She didn’t wait for Jude to agree, but stood and deposited Alfie on Jude’s lap. He was warm and squashy and his hair tickled her nose. He twisted his head and stared into her eyes. His eyes were squinched and his bottom lip stuck out. He was deciding whether to cry.

Jude picked up a tangerine.

“Let’s share this,” she said brightly, and started to peel it.

Danny left the room with a farewell salute, then ran back in to snatch up a torch.

“It’s dark out on the marshes,” she said as she left the room again.

A couple of minutes later, Jude heard the front door click shut.

A friend of Jude’s had recently acquired a manic puppy. She had said that you had to engage with them at their level, not tower over them. Jude thought it might be the same for small children, so she lifted Alfie from the chair and hunkered down beside him.

“What shall we play?” she asked hopefully.

Alfie put out his dimpled hand and pushed experimentally at her chest. Jude let herself topple over so she was lying on the tiles. Which, she discovered, were grimy and greasy.

Alfie howled with laughter.

Encouraged, Jude levered herself back up to a squatting position, was pushed, fell down again, received the same cheerful response.

She repeated the maneuver several more times. It seemed he would never tire of it.

“Blimey,” said a voice.

She struggled to a sitting position, trying to pull her jumper down over her naked tummy.

Vin and Irina were in the room, gazing down at her, and standing in the doorway was the student Jan, looking pained.

“Why, Dr. Winter,” said Vin, smiling broadly.

“You look hot,” said Irina. She wasn’t smiling.

“You’re late,” said Jude. “Danny had to go to her skating.”

“We were picking up drinks for the wake.”

“You’re still late.”