‘Sit down, please,’ Victor said, waving to the single chair. ‘I’m glad you came. Would you like something to drink? A cup of tea would warm you up.’ Victor had obviously decided her visit augured good news, his puzzled expression giving way to one that was smugly satisfied.

‘That would be lovely.’ Jodie forced a smile. She reached into her pocket for the bottle. ‘You mentioned you liked whisky. Since I don’t drink anymore… or very little anyway… I thought I’d bring you this. It’s been opened but not much has gone.’ She held the bottle forward, keeping her expression carefully neutral.

‘You remembered,’ he said, taking the bottle. He read the label and smiled. ‘It’s good whisky too.’

‘Maybe I’ll have a drop to warm me up. For medicinal purposes. But only if you join me.’

‘Medicinal purposes.’ He grinned. ‘The only reason I drink it too.’ He opened a cupboard, took out two small glasses and set them on the table. ‘Here you go,’ he said, pouring the whisky into each. He handed her a glass and took his own. ‘What shall we drink to, my dear?’

Jodie wrapped her fingers around the glass. There was only one thing to drink to at that stage, wasn’t there? ‘We should drink to love. It’s what has brought us to this point after all.’

He hesitated, as if not entirely convinced of her sincerity, his eyes narrowing as she lifted the glass to her lips. ‘I suppose it is,’ he said, and raised his glass. ‘To love.’

‘It’s quite a smoky whisky,’ Jodie said. ‘I don’t think it will do the baby any harm to have one or two.’ She sat on the solitary chair and raised the drink to her lips again.

Victor hovered as if unsure of the next step. Only when Jodie raised her glass once more, did he cross to the bed and sit.

She managed to fill the silence with ramblings about the baby and a few minutes later, lifted her empty glass. ‘It’s helping to warm me up already.’ She poured more into her glass, then got to her feet and walked over to Victor with the bottle extended. His glass, too, was empty. She filled it to the brim. Back in her chair, she lifted her glass again. ‘Here’s to the future.’

When she put her glass down it was empty. ‘That is really good, isn’t it?’

Victor drained the second glass.

‘Looks like we’re going to get merry together,’ Jodie said, crossing to fill his glass again.

It took nearly an hour. The whisky was gone. Victor’s eyelids were drooping and he’d flopped back on the bed. When he hadn’t spoken or moved for several minutes, Jodie got to her feet and edged closer to him.