While I was reading it, Emily’s phone buzzed. ‘Paul?’ she said. ‘Andrew’s asked me to ask you something.’

‘Yes?’

‘Are you romantically involved with his daughter? His words, not mine. There’s some article she’s written or something that he thinks refers to you. He found it when he was trying to find a radio interview she did yesterday.’

‘I’ve just finished reading that.’ I handed her the phone.

‘That girl,’ she said when she’d finished reading. ‘It makes it very clear what she thinks of me.’

‘Is that what she’s doing? I’m not sure it’s about you. I’m not sure I come out particularly well there.’

‘So that is you?’

‘Unless she’s using the outline of my life to disguise a relationship she’s having with another man.’

‘You and her?’

‘It’s, um. I didn’t know that’s how she thought of me. Or if she does.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘There wasn’t anything to tell. It was just after that ridiculous lunch at yours. We got a taxi together when we were both pissed off with you and Andrew. I did wonder if she was using me to make some kind of statement to you. But, actually, we seem to like each other.’

‘What were you pissed off about?’

‘Being used to stop her from making a scene.’

‘I invited you because you’d become a friend. You were supposed to be gone by the announcement. And in what way was that her making a statement to me?’

She looked away from me, out of the window on the other side of the carriage, at all the scenery spending itself.

‘She asked me a lot of questions about the nature of our relationship,’ I said.

‘And what did you tell her?’

‘We’re friends. She thought she could detect conspiratorial glances between us.’

‘Whenever she said something stupid!’

‘I said that. And then she got cross.’

‘But not so cross.’

‘Yeah.’ We looked away from each other. ‘Well, why shouldn’t I?’

‘You’re right. Why shouldn’t you?’ She shifted to the edge of the seat.

‘It’s probably not serious. She’s just using me for a column, for some immediate gratification – to annoy her dad, to annoy you. It’s not even her real personality in those things.’

‘That’s even worse, in that case, if she’s just faking outrage.’

‘It’s just, I don’t know, like Andrew said, polemics. She knows her audience.’

‘If by polemical you mean unconsidered and cynical, then I agree with you. As long as you realise she’s just using you to annoy her dad and me. Don’t think I’m annoyed. It’s got nothing to do with me. Though why would you let yourself be used like that?’