‘You must be starving.’ She grinned and walked, almost ran, to the door, then stopped and beckoned him to follow. ‘I’ll be with you in a minute,’ he said. ‘I need to get dressed.’ But she just shrugged and stood her ground. He felt the pleasure of unaccustomed laughter. ‘On you go. I’m not a pretty sight first thing in the morning.’ She smiled and nodded her agreement. He threw his pillow at her and it hit the door with a thud as she closed it quickly behind her.

There was still a stiffness in his limbs as he climbed out of bed and felt the cold air brush his skin. When he had dressed he went through to the living room and saw a lump of bread and a piece of crumbling cheese set out for him on the coffee table, with the last half-litre of wine and a glass. A plate of crumbs next to it betrayed her hunger. She had been unable to wait for him.

‘Well, thank you, Tania.’ He stooped to tear off a hunk of bread with his fingers and pop it in his mouth. He looked at the wine and smiled reproachfully. ‘The wine was a nice thought, but not first thing in the morning. Would you like coffee?’ She nodded and followed him eagerly into the kitchen.

There was milk enough to make coffee half and half. He spooned sugar and instant coffee into two mugs and watched the milk and water come to the boil in a pan over the gas. Despite the aches and pains he felt good. He couldn’t remember having slept so well in a long time. It was the first morning in many that he had risen with a lightness of heart, and without his usual ambivalence about the day ahead. But beyond the next hours, he knew, the future still lay brooding ominously on the horizon. The good things in life never lasted. This was the false peace, the calm before the storm. Or perhaps the eye of tranquillity at its centre. An ephemeral thing. He shook his head to clear the thought. He did not want its impermanence to spoil it while it lasted.

‘Here.’ He handed her a mug and they drank in silence, enjoying its hot sweetness. He said, ‘Later we’ll have to talk about the future.’ He saw her face cloud. ‘But right now we’re not even going to think about it. We can just spend the next few hours finding out a little bit more about each other. What do you say?’ She tilted the mug back to hide her face and he could not detect her response. When she lowered it again she smiled, as though he had not spoken, and he wondered what on earth was in that little head of hers.