I woke again soon after I had finally got to bed, perturbed by a stray half-thought, half-dream. It was to do with images, with reflection and projection, and I lay awake, teasing it out. I had never liked the woman whom Jack had seen as his wife, had never liked Jack’s me—myself in his eyes. I had seen in his eyes the reflection of the woman he loved and I had despised her; and despised him for loving her, for I could not. I wondered what Margaret thought of the girl she saw in Syl’s regard.

I stayed in bed the next day and didn’t sleep that night.

Nevertheless I felt somewhat restored the following morning and got up early. It was mild for the time of year and I went out into the garden wondering if I would live to see the green shoots of spring flowers, not being a spring chicken myself. If I would live to see the almond blossom, a goat in its lower branches, peering down with devil’s eyes...Oh, God, I’m wandering, I thought. I’d better go and make some coffee.

I was going slowly towards the back door when Lili came flying over the lawn from the path by the golf course. After a moment’s doubt I had to admit I was glad to see her. I knew I would be tired out again by lunchtime, but I had to give her her due: she was good company.

‘Derek’s wife is awful,’ she said, ‘I think he must beat her. She’s all quiet and silly as though she’d had the stuffing knocked out of her. And she can’t cook.’

‘Poor thing,’ I said. The mention of Derek depressed me.

‘I knew a woman like that in Egypt,’ said Lili. ‘I was ever so sorry for her and then her husband died in terrible agonies and it turned out she came from a family of women who were skilled in herbal medicine just like my aunts. Eating Cynthia’s lunch I began to wonder if she was thinking along the same lines.’

‘Nasty, was it?’ I asked.

‘Horrid,’ said Lili.

‘I’ll make you some nice wholesome coffee to take the taste away,’ I said.

‘We went out to dinner that night,’ said Lili, ‘with the same thing in mind. I ate a lot of garlic.’

She looked at me sideways and I had the impression there was something she wanted to tell me but didn’t know whether she should. I waited.

‘Well,’ she said after a moment, ‘I should think, going by the evidence, that Derek’s life is a misery and a burden to him, so that’s good.’

‘Bit hard on Cynthia,’ I said.

‘We can’t be bothered with Cynthia at the moment. We’ve got Margaret to think about,’ said Lili.

‘And Syl,’ I said, suddenly rebellious, for I didn’t want my son plunged into a loveless marriage like Derek. No, not like Derek. Syl was nothing like Derek.