‘Oh, yes?’ For an instant his brilliant green eyes had the look of a hopeful, guilty schoolboy.

‘The fact that married men prefer not to leave their wives for their lovers.’ Genuine bafflement altered his expression and the buoyancy left her. Their very first date – all that wise counsel of his about Stephen Goddard – and he didn’t even remember. ‘It’s always been one rule for you, Lucas, and another for the rest of the world.’ She spun on her heel to stalk away, but then spun back again. ‘But thanks for today. Lunch. That was generous. I promise I am done with questions. I wish you and Heidi well. Truly.’

Dramatic exit in tatters, Esther traipsed off in the direction of the NCP where she had left the car, trying not to limp in case Lucas was watching.

In the car, she sat for a few moments, kicking off her shoes and letting her heart settle, contemplating the notion that she had spent two decades trying to look after three children, not two. A proper partner in life was what she needed. What she deserved. Lucas was the only planet in his own private universe, and Heidi was welcome to him. Absently, she reached for the slim, cardboard package that she had tossed onto the passenger seat. It had an easy pull-tab for opening. Inside there was no accompanying note, just a small box of ten handmade dark chocolates, containing – so the blurb boasted – a variety of nut and marzipan fillings.

Esther did not like dark chocolate, or nuts in chocolate, or marzipan; and the chocolates had melted and resolidified into misshapen versions of their original glory. Even so, she put one in her mouth before turning the engine on, feeling the fizz of the sugar on her tongue. Sitting in the clogged one-way system a few minutes later, she reached for another. Before long, her own system was humming and ten little paper wrappers were scattered on the passenger seat. The lack of message meant Chris Mews had to be the guilty sender, but so what? An attractive man liked her, and that was not nothing. Even if she had chosen not to like him back.

10

Lucas watched Esther merging into the crowd, tracking her pink dress until it was a speck, before turning for the walk back to his flat. It felt like a new, much-needed finality. Yet, as ever, she had managed to leave him feeling bad. Esther always did, Lucas reflected gloomily. Self-righteously and forensically picking over his failings, that was Esther’s way, while somehow never factoring in her own. He kicked at an empty plastic bottle rolling across the pavement, throwing an embarrassed smile at the elderly woman who promptly picked it up and put it in a nearby bin.