‘You’ve said it yourself before.’ Her voice was low. ‘We can’t ever be together. We’re married to other people. That’s the sad and sorry truth of it and there’s nothing we can do to change that. We’re not the kind of people who walk out on our marriages, Arthur.’

‘I know. And I know I’ve said that myself. So many times. But I’ve come to a decision. I can’t go on this way. I’m here to beg you to come away with me.’

Evie felt as if a tidal wave was sweeping over her, carrying her off, helpless and out of control. Gripping the wooden arm of her chair, she said, ‘Arthur, you’re not serious. You can’t possibly mean that.’ Her breath was jerky. She closed her eyes.

He reached for her hands, holding them in his. She felt that same bolt of electricity she had experienced before at the touch of his skin against hers. Dizzy, disorientated, she struggled to reply, wanting to give in, to abdicate all responsibility to him. His look was intense, determined, certain.

He bent his head, turned her hands over and touched her palms with his lips. He looked up at her again and said, ‘I love you, Evie. Body and soul. That’s all that matters.’

At that moment her unborn baby turned over inside her and kicked her soundly. She pulled her hands away from Arthur and placed them over her swollen belly. ‘It’s not just you and me any more. I have the baby to think of. Doug’s baby.’ She felt tears begin to well in her eyes. ‘I love you, Arthur. Desperately, totally, crazily. But it’s too late. That day at the beach it might have been different. But not now. I can’t do it.’

‘I’ll take care of you and the baby.’

She touched the top of his head with her hand, running her fingers through his hair. ‘Oh my dearest darling. You can’t. We can’t. This is Doug’s child and you know as well as I do how much it means to him. And in his peculiar fashion I think he does love me and you are his only friend. It would be such a terrible betrayal I think it would kill him. How can I possibly do that to him? How can you?’

‘You can do it because it’s no more than he deserves. He’s treated you appallingly. To do what he did with that woman. He’s forfeited all right to your loyalty.’

Evie shook her head slowly. ‘How can you say that? You of all people. You who came here after that dreadful day and asked me to talk to him. You who said it was the best thing for me.’

His face crumpled. ‘You’ve no idea what that cost me. How I’ve cursed myself ever since. It’s the bloody awful wish to try and do the right thing. The decent thing. But the right thing is the wrong thing. The only thing that’s right is that you and I belong together.’