My doorbell rings. Until now I’ve never noticed how often it does. Whether it’s the post, a parcel delivery or a neighbour, it rings all the time. I turn the heat down, then Lottie and I run into the hall. I grab her shoulder and pull her back. The figure standing behind the stained-glass windows is tall and thin. It’s not Nick. My heart slams. I’m certain that it’s a policeman, come to give me bad news.

‘Lottie,’ I murmur urgently. ‘Go to your bedroom.’

‘But Mum,’ she protests. ‘Why do I have to?’

‘Do as I say, darling. Please don’t be difficult.’

She gives me a look of reproach and drags herself upstairs. I wait until she’s out of sight and then I open the door to a tall silver-haired man, dressed in a beautifully cut City suit.

I’m so surprised, I lose the power of speech. We’ve met only a handful of times over the last few years, but he’s unmistakable. It’s Nick’s boss. I stand to one side and allow him in. He bends to pet Toffee.

This is a man of substance, a man to whom people rush to say yes. He is relaxed and yet coiled, friendly and yet intimidating. I remember when we were first introduced, at a work drinks, one of the rare events to which other halves are welcomed; he had taken my hand in his, looked me directly in the eye, nodded his approval, and smiled. It was a smile that covered everything from sympathy because I was out of my depth, to an understanding that I was an outsider. The smile said that he would keep my secret, he was on my side. He knew nothing about me, of course, he just instinctively understood people. I’d felt quite wobbly when he finally let me go and went to greet someone else. ‘He likes you,’ Nick had grinned. ‘Yeah, well.’ I brushed it off. ‘It’s you he likes.’

‘So how is the invalid?’ he asks now.

His presence is so strong that my voice trembles when I speak. ‘He’s asleep. He had a bad night.’

Without waiting for an invitation he strolls into my kitchen. ‘Lovely place you’ve got here.’ He slides open the garden doors and steps outside. I follow him nervously, pulling my long cardigan around me. ‘You’ve done a lot of work on it, Nick tells me. It’s certainly paid off.’

‘Thank you.’