We made our way on foot to a pub where a section had been reserved and food ordered for ‘a little afternoon party’, as Andrew described it. He put his arm around me twice while he told me the arrangements. He was so jubilant I thought he might be about to put me in a neck hold and give me a head scrub.

‘How are you?’ I asked Emily, as we made our way there and walked slightly ahead together. They were the first words I’d said to her that day.

‘I’m good, thanks. Glad that’s over.’

‘What did you think of her who did it?’

‘She was fine. Functional. I wish we’d just done it on our own though.’

‘There were only six guests.’

‘I know. A bit much to walk in to taped violins, wasn’t it?’

‘No, no.’

‘Well, I’m not regretting things!’ she said.

‘Of course you’re not.’ I put my hand on her arm. ‘It was fine.’

‘Stop making off with my bride,’ called Andrew from behind us, and we waited up for the rest of the party.

‘I haven’t told you how beautiful you look in that dress,’ I said, just as Andrew arrived.

‘Now you have,’ she said. ‘You look very sharp yourself.’

‘Thank you,’ I said. I hugged her so I didn’t have to look at her face.

‘Cool down, Cassio,’ said Gary.

‘Those trousers aren’t constricting you, are they, Paul?’ said Andrew. ‘They’re very tight.’

Sophie caught my arm when I disengaged from Emily and I hung back to talk to her.

‘You two are very friendly,’ she said. ‘I was also tempted to tell you to get your hands off my father’s wife.’

‘That’s the spirit,’ I said. ‘Protective of their union.’

She screwed up her face, and I laughed.

‘It’s done,’ she said. ‘What can I do?’

‘Devise a dastardly plot to split them up?’

‘Yes, I suppose I could. How would I go about it?’

I pretended I was thinking about this for the first time. ‘I suppose you could find or manufacture evidence to suggest one or the other was cheating on the other.’

‘Oh, God, no. Old people and their ancient morality. I couldn’t take it seriously.’

‘That’s principled of you. So if you knew Emily was cheating on your father you wouldn’t think it any of his business?’

‘The important thing is honesty, not monogamy. Yes, I wouldn’t want to know.’

I didn’t say anything and faced straight forwards as we walked.

‘Is she?’ she blurted. ‘She’d tell you, wouldn’t she?’

‘I have no idea why you’d think that.’

She grabbed my arm. ‘What’s that tone about?’

‘There’s no tone.’

‘You sound angry.’

‘No.’

‘Have you?’

‘Have I what?’

She spun her head to gesture with her chin at Emily.

‘No.’

She squeezed my arm harder.

‘Seriously, have you?’

‘No.’