‘I needed to support her, didn’t I? I remember giving a few pounds to Connie.’ He frowns. ‘I guess she used it to fund her escape to Paris.’

‘Why are you telling me this?’ says Marina suddenly. ‘Aren’t you worried Kenneth will come after you?’

He gives a laugh. ‘You are joking? Kenneth couldn’t go after anyone. He might have done then, true, but not now. He’s . . .’ He pauses thinking of the right word. ‘Diminished.’

Marina remembers the frail old man she met in the garden. ‘Maybe it’s guilt,’ she says.

She expects Victor to laugh at her, but instead he looks serious. ‘I’d hazard a guess his mind is full of scorpions.’

‘Pardon?’

‘Shakespeare, my dear. The mind of guilt is full of scorpions. Kenneth must see them everywhere, which can’t be good for the soul.’ He takes yet another drink. ‘Whereas I’m more inclined to see pink elephants.’ He laughs again as if to cover the cleverness of his remark.

It doesn’t work. Marina is impressed. Victor has surprised her again.

He lifts his flask in a gesture of cheers, stops with it halfway to his lips and says, ‘Mind you . . . It’s always best to be careful. I assume I can rely on your discretion.’

‘Of course,’ says Marina. ‘I never reveal my sources.’

He smiles with a touch of uncertainty. Takes out another cigarette, eyes her and then says, ‘Actually, I know where Harry has gone.’

‘Oh yes?’ Marina feigns nonchalance, but her heart is beating rapidly. First the mention of the pregnant girlfriend; now this. ‘Where?’

‘He crossed the river. I heard he had a rather bijou shop in Angel. Did well for himself in the end, it turns out.’

‘A grocer’s?’

‘Hats.’

‘You kept in touch.’

‘No. My wife – ex-wife that is – her mother knew his mother or something. Sent Christmas cards every year.’

She thinks again about the baby Victor’s wife was expecting, tries to calculate the dates. It must have been born around the same time as her. ‘Does your ex-wife still live in this part of London?’

Victor grimaces and looks down at the carpet. ‘She moved to Liverpool with the bloke she met after me.’

‘That must have been difficult for you, not seeing your son or daughter.’

‘Didn’t make it.’ He raises his head and his eyes shine.

Marina understands. ‘Oh God. I’m sorry.’

He clears his throat. ‘The irony was that at first I wanted her to get rid of it. When she told me she was pregnant, I tried to persuade her to have an abortion, even encouraged her to go to a backstreet clinic. Terrible place it was.’

There is a pause. Marina speaks gently. ‘But she wanted to keep the baby?’

‘Yep. Persuaded me and I married her. Got used to the idea. Five months in and she lost it.’

‘I’m really sorry.’