‘He’s giving me information on FullLife,’ Eva said, ignoring Piotr and talking to the woman standing in the doorway. ‘Something is going wrong, and he has the proof. I’m sorry if you didn’t know.’

‘Oh, he told me,’ Julianne said.

Eva took a step forward. ‘Is someone … are you going away?’ she asked, trying to sound caring, though she didn’t even know this woman’s name. Using Mrs Quentin would seem to be a mistake. She reached out, but the sharp intake of breath told her that her comfort wasn’t welcome. Eva stepped back – whatever had happened, this woman’s anger was making her cold, and Eva didn’t want to touch it. She’d spent a long time dealing with her own anger, she didn’t want anyone else’s. They should leave.

Piotr, though, was moving closer. She almost pulled him back, but didn’t. Piotr, with his broad chest and big eyes and overgrown curly hair, was asking the woman if she was OK, was offering to make her a cup of tea. Did she just say her name was Julianne? And, good heavens, thought Eva, how on earth did that happen? Because suddenly she found she was following Piotr and Julianne into the house.

As she sat holding her mug of tea, trying to look sympathetic but staying out of the conversation, she wondered when Piotr had learned the skill of appearing genuine. She didn’t think he’d had it when they were together. Sharp, yes. Cutting sometimes. He’d known how to steer a conversation and had a knack for understanding what people meant rather than what they said. But sympathetic? It was unlikely he was being genuine, so he must have worked out how to appear so. Perhaps it was all an act with her, too, the way he kept waiting for her to decide what they’d do next. Although he’d been the one to step up here, so maybe it was just a new variety of leadership. Waiting in the wings until he could shine. Was he trying to impress her? No, he seemed oblivious to her now.

Julianne was talking about thirty years of marriage. How he’d never seemed like the kind to do something so rash, but then perhaps you really never can tell? She was talking in a matter-of-fact voice. He hadn’t been like himself for months, now that she thought about it, but you have ups and downs, don’t you, in a marriage? She’d thought if she just gave him more space … And she herself needed space. They’d never lived in each other’s pockets. But to start going on about having an affair …

Eva looked up from her tea, as it suddenly dawned on her that all of this had nothing to do with FullLife, but plenty to do with her.

‘Who …?’

Piotr shook his head, just subtly, and Julianne simply sighed.