‘He raped you,’ said Patrick. ‘Violently. Sounds like he drugged you as well. It was an assault.’

Sara’s eyes were on her father, motionless except for the chest, slowly expanding and contracting. ‘We shouldn’t use such words,’ she whispered. ‘It might upset him.’

The memory was making her shaky, buffeted by a swirl of emotions. Fear, anger, guilt, the sense of violation that had never left her. She had one hand on the bed; Patrick took the other and gently held it between both of his. ‘If your father was listening, he’d use the same words as me.’

‘I didn’t understand it at the time,’ she forced on, appearing not to hear him. ‘I couldn’t tell anyone.’ She stared at her father. ‘Least of all him. Certainly not the police. The disgrace. My first thought was that I’d have to marry him. It seems absurd now to think that was the only solution for the person I then was.’

‘To think how careless he was.’

‘Care was not in his vocabulary. You only realise that later.’

‘No,’ said Patrick. ‘Except for himself.’

‘The ridiculous thing was that I didn’t end it there and then. He and I were the only ones who knew what had happened – there was no one else to talk to. I had to try to work it out. I might be pregnant. He said he had tickets for a trip on the Millennium Wheel. It wasn’t one of my study or work experience days so I said yes. And among the crowds, nothing could happen. There was a part of me that still ached to see him – to understand better, to know answers. To look at him.’

They agreed to meet at the entrance to the Wheel at 2 p.m.

She arrived early and hid behind a tree, watching, waiting. Ten minutes later he showed up. He looked around, searching, a puzzled expression in his eyes. The anxiety on his face momentarily pleased her – until she started wondering how long he’d stay before giving up. Maybe he’d approach another girl and offer her the ticket to accompany him. She jumped up from her seat and ran, exaggerating her breathlessness so she could say she’d sprinted from the slow-running tube.

‘Hello, Sara.’ He was as controlled as ever. ‘Did you not think I would wait? Have I ever been impatient with you?’

The heat of summer had worn off and the day was cool enough for her to need a cardigan over her cream blouse and jeans. Kareem wore a brown leather jacket she hadn’t seen before; it enhanced his lean figure and the flat stomach beneath. She tried to ignore it. She gave him a peck on the cheek and resisted when he tried to pull her into his arms.

‘It is time for our ride,’ he said, affecting not to notice.