Griff kissed his daughter’s cheek and grabbed Dan’s hand, slapping his back.

‘Good to see you,’ he said.

Liv stood on tiptoe to air-kiss Dan, first one side, then the other, so just her perfume and fingertips touched him.

‘Dan, so thrilled.’

He looked from his mother-in-law to his wife, searching for something to connect them. It was as if they were made of different material. They were both fair but there was no red in Bea’s hair, it was just pale, unbrightened blonde; both were small but Bea the taller of the two, and in outline had a mother’s shape; her mother had a child’s. But, he realised they had the same heart-shaped face. If the flesh were stripped from Bea’s face, you’d have Liv’s, everything about her was polished to a point.

‘We couldn’t believe it when Alex said you would be here,’ she said. ‘Wow! What do you think of our project?’

‘It’s good,’ said Bea, going to Alex’s side, but her mother reached him first.

‘Darling, I missed you,’ she said, putting her arms around him.

He ducked away and smiled.

‘We stopped for lunch near Versailles yesterday,’ said Griff. ‘It was horrific.’

‘You know, that five-star awful,’ said Liv sorrowfully.

‘Total bullshit. I don’t know why she booked it. It was disgusting.’

‘You drove?’ said Bea.

‘They always drive,’ said Alex proudly, infantilised.

‘I sold the jet last year,’ said Griff. Bea saw Dan start, and look at Griff with sudden focus. ‘It cost an arm and a leg to get it off the ground, and it was always a palaver trying to find a runway long enough anywhere. We’d have had to leave it at Dijon, so what’s the point?’

‘The crossing is fine,’ said Liv. ‘And the drive down is so beautiful. We always love it.’

‘I can’t stand rented cars,’ said Griff. ‘They’re always completely disgusting, and collecting them is a nightmare.’

‘Come in, come in. Let’s go in,’ said Alex, breaking a sweat.

‘Dan?’ said Bea.

Startled from his thoughts, he smiled at her, but his smile was false. ‘Coming,’ he said.

She wanted to say something but there was no time.

In the hall Alex was all eagerness. ‘What can I get you?’

‘Hang on,’ said Griff. ‘Blimey. We only just walked in.’

‘D’you want to go in the garden? Shall we – we could – you’ll want to sit down, yeah?’

‘You’re the boss,’ said Griff. ‘Fawlty Towers, eh? Where’s Manuel?’ He laughed. He wore off-white trousers and a peach-coloured linen shirt, untucked, and handmade shoes.

‘Your rooms are ready,’ said Alex.

‘Christ,’ said Griff, ‘that makes a change.’

They sat in the smaller of the two sitting rooms. Alex smashed a stemmed glass getting the drinks, and kicked the pieces under the sideboard.

‘We stayed in a really lovely chateau not far from Dijon last night,’ said Liv. ‘And the first night, Alex, in that place we stayed last time. In Picardy, do you remember?’

‘Unbelievably pretentious,’ said Griff.