An hour had passed. The salad was delicious, there was a lentil stew with bright-green beans and basil, and a loaf of sourdough bread from the oven – though these culinary matters were mentioned very little at the table. Emily and I had been silent for a while, moving only to pour ourselves more wine. Andrew and Sophie had barely touched their glasses.

‘But you weren’t researching a novel. You were stealing a dress.’

‘Which proves my point even further.’

‘So why not admit that in the article?’

‘Would you rather I had?’

‘Do I want you to announce to the world you’re a thief? I suppose actually I don’t. You might need a job one day.’

‘I have a career as a journalist already, thank you.’

‘There are circles in which saying someone writes journalism is an insult, you know, Sophie.’

‘Not ones I want to be part of, and that’s rich, considering how much journalism you write. And I was researching an article, as it turned out. Why do you care?’

‘Because this stuff matters.’

‘Why?’

‘Why does truth matter? Really?’

‘The end justifies the means,’ she said.

‘What?’

‘Do you not think it’s abhorrent that I can get away with stealing that dress when someone else can’t?’

‘Yes, I do.’

‘And I’ve drawn attention to that.’

‘So what? What end have you reached by drawing attention to it? What solution to poverty have you proposed? And why did you call me? Why didn’t you just use the lawyer they would have provided? Why didn’t you leave me to eat my dinner that night?’

‘Oh, I’m sorry I put you out, Dad.’

‘You’re better than this, Sophie. This bratty sarcasm.’

‘I rang you because I was scared and I wanted to talk to you. I didn’t expect a get-out-of-jail-free card.’

‘Do you believe what you’re saying?’

‘Don’t you see it’s wrong that your friend could arrive and just get me out of there?’

‘You better hope the Americans don’t read your column.’

‘What? Why?’

‘They could stick your name on a list of UK citizens convicted of crimes of moral turpitude. And you would be turned away.’

‘What? Then why did Sandra say I’d be OK with a caution?’

‘She didn’t know you were going to write a fucking column about it. For such an educated person you really can be quite stupid.’

‘It’s not stupid to speak out about injustice!’