Jomier looks with loathing at the carefully catalogued books on his shelves. There is not one that has prepared him for the sight of his dying daughter. He looks at his stacks of CDs. What music could he play that would not disgust him with its manipulation of his emotions – soothing what cannot be soothed, calming what cannot be calmed, healing what cannot be healed? And there, facing him in the gloom, is the black rectangular screen of his television – the open window that has let in all the sham, pretence, denial, distraction and falsity of the world.

Jomier falls asleep. When he wakes only the orange light from the street lamps illuminates the room. He stands, switches on the lights, closes the curtains. He goes to the kitchen. He looks in his fridge to see what he might cook for his supper. There is some lean mince. A bolognese sauce. He goes up the stairs to his study. The red light blinks on his answering machine. Jomier listens to the first and only message. It is from Judith. Her voice is gentle, appeasing. Jomier listens with a cold, clenched heart. How can you forgive someone for delivering so triumphantly your daughter’s sentence of death?

Jomier switches on his computer. He checks his emails. The ads for Viagra and Cialis skip into his spam folder. The only message is from Judith. ‘i am sorry for what i said about louisa it was cruel i love you xxx judith’. Jomier deletes the message. He goes to Google and types in ‘rare blood diseases’. He studies the websites. The possibilities seem infinite. No wonder Professor Cochella threw in the sponge and passed the buck to his mentor, Professor Adams of St Chad’s. But is it too late? ‘Patients with any blood cancer,’ he reads, ‘that occurs relatively infrequently may have difficulty finding information about where and from whom to obtain the best treatment. All patients with cancer should seek care from a physician or team experienced in treating his or her disease, and this is especially important for patients with rare blood cancers, because these diseases may be difficult to diagnose – but are sometimes easily treated if diagnosed correctly.’ This from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Easily treated if diagnosed correctly. Why is not Louisa in the US where competition and financial incentives keep doctors on their toes? Why has she come from chaotic, incompetent Argentinian health care to chaotic, incompetent British health care? Why has she been referred by the posturing macho hairy-chested nurse-bonking Professor Cochella to the self-important time-serving golf-playing Professor Adams?