I took the picture. I took another. Posters for platonic female friendship, for the irrelevance of men. Bookshelves were clearly visible around them. Stev’n would probably want to photoshop some caged dwarfs in leather behind them if he used the photo.

I felt a hand on my back. ‘Hello,’ said Amy. ‘You keep leaving me with the lunatics.’

I put my phone away. ‘This is my sister,’ I said, and made introductions.

‘I didn’t expect you to have a sister,’ said Sophie.

‘He does,’ said Amy.

‘I thought you might be one of those men who hadn’t been round women much,’ Sophie continued, without looking at Amy.

‘We’ve been disagreeing about whether if Brexit happens it will be the fault of men,’ I explained to Amy. ‘I expect Sophie and Rochi went to girls’ schools and base their opinion of men on men who went to boys’ schools.’

‘Is there much difference?’ said Rochi.

‘The ones who go to boys’ schools are even worse,’ said Amy. ‘From my experience.’

‘At least they aren’t talking over girls like they do in the mixed schools and getting in the way of their education,’ said Sophie.

‘Is that what they do?’ said Amy.

‘It’s statistically proven,’ said Sophie.

‘I must have had an inferior education to you, then. Don’t mixed schools tend to have poorer pupils than the all-girl schools?’ asked Amy.

‘You’re like your brother,’ said Sophie. ‘Exceptions don’t disprove general rules.’

‘And what should we do with those boys I went to school with and who ruined my education?’ asked Amy. ‘Should we just execute them at birth? Or would sending them to the Gulag suffice?’

Sophie considered this silently. ‘I’m sure we can find something more compassionate to do with them,’ she said, glancing at me.

‘We’re just jealous you got to hang around with boys at all,’ said Rochi, stepping between Sophie and Amy, and she winked at me as a glass began to ting. I looked up to see Emily casting around the room for Andrew, and then Cockburn started speaking.

*

After Cockburn had finished, Emily made the briefest of thank yous to her agent and editor. ‘I was going to thank my partner but I can’t see him – oh, here he is. Thank you to Andrew too for all his support during the writing of this book. Thank you all for coming.’

Andrew had returned alone, and made his way over to kiss her. The crowd began to buzz again.

I looked for Amy. She was browsing in the Latin America section.

‘You’re not plotting another escape, are you?’

‘Yes, I thought if my trial at work goes against me, I might hide out in Argentina for a while, like a Nazi.’

‘I’m glad to see you’re keeping things in perspective here, Amy.’