‘Mum,’ Rohan said. ‘Abi’s not pregnant. If she were, you’d be the first to know. And it’s not that I don’t want to talk about her. It’s just that there’s nothing to say. She’s working. Aren’t you, darling?’ I nodded. ‘She has an exhibition coming up. She’s an artist. It’s not like working in an office. She gets consumed by her work. It takes her over. And yes, sometimes, she forgets about pedestrian things like eating and sleeping so, if she looks a little tired or a little thin, that’ll be why. Right?’ I nodded again. ‘And it’s fine,’ Rohan said, ‘because once she’s finished, she’ll have an amazing exhibition and then she’ll get back on track.’

‘I will,’ I said, feeling as if I was making a promise to Meena.

‘We just need to give her the space she needs to do her “thang”,’ Rohan said, sticking his tongue out and making peace signs like an ageing hippie. ‘Okay?’

I nodded again and took another pakora, as if to prove the point that I wasn’t on a diet. In the background, I heard the front door open, then the sound of Mili’s voice talking to my father-in-law. Thank God.

‘Do you think Abigail’s got thinner?’ Meena asked the moment Mili walked into the kitchen.

‘Mother! Leave her alone!’ Mili tutted as she gave me a hug. She was wrapped, as always, in a cloud of her signature Oud perfume. ‘Yo, Brohan,’ she said, hugging Rohan. ‘Good to see you. Jay sends his apologies. He’s taking Sofia to a birthday party.’

Clive came in then. No hugs from him. It wasn’t his thing. He nodded at everyone and pulled out a chair at the kitchen table, and we all sat down, chatting and helping ourselves to snacks until Meena handed us dishes to carry through to the dining room. I thought I’d got through the worst of it then, but no.

Mili and I shared a bottle of white wine with lunch. It was nothing to me, but she drank slowly, clearly unused to daytime drinking. Before I knew it, the bottle was empty, and I was getting up to fetch another.

‘So, tell me about the salt,’ Rohan said to his mum, apropos of nothing. ‘What brought that on – or am I better off not knowing?’ He laughed. ‘Can you pass the kebabs? These are delicious.’

Mili raised a hand and waved it while she finished her mouthful. ‘Oh, it’s a good one. You have to hear it.’ Her voice implied she was highly amused by what was to come next. She paused to check everyone was listening. ‘Mum thinks your house is haunted and – get this – that Abi’s been possessed.’

I almost spluttered my wine: me, possessed? She hadn’t said that to my face.