‘Listen, Bill, I’m going to need to rent out the Kingfisher. Not for cruising. Just for someone who wants to stay put for a while. A fellow bargee. I don’t suppose…’

‘Consider it done. How long for?’

‘At least until the end of the university year, say three months?’ Whatever happens to Satnam she has to be here for Nevis.

It takes her a few hours to do the basic de-winterising of the Halcyon Days then another couple to give the place a good clean. By lunchtime she is more or less done. She sits at the little table in the saloon and thinks about texting Nevis then decides to wait until she has been to see the head of student welfare at Avon and has something concrete to say.

At two she sets off walking. Outside the sun has emerged pale and lovely. The Avon campus lies just northwest of the city centre in Redland, beside the Downs, a good forty-five-minute walk from the Floating Harbour.

At the student welfare office, an administrator shows her to a seat in a small waiting area. At three precisely, a woman in her fifties, salt and pepper hair, bright patterned dress, big artsy glasses and the whisperings of a moustache emerges from another room and comes over, hand outstretched.

‘Mrs Smith, I’m Dr Keane.’

Honor holds out a hand and hopes the doctor will not notice that underneath the tweed Oxfam trousers she is wearing floral DMs, it having slipped her mind that a professional outfit might require more professional shoes.

‘I’m terribly sorry but it’s rather a busy day. I’ve only got a few minutes. If you could make an appointment to come back…?’

‘That’s fine, it’ll only take a few minutes.’

She watches Keane fluster.

‘Well, I suppose…’

‘That’s so kind of you,’ Honor says, sweeping into Keane’s office before she changes her mind. ‘My daughter Nevis was – is – Satnam Mann’s flatmate. Went with her in the ambulance. I wanted to see you because, obviously, she’s very shaken by what happened and I want to be sure the university will keep an eye on her. You haven’t spoken to her, I suppose?’

‘Not yet. As I said, it’s all been rather busy.’

‘Nevis left Satnam on her own Sunday evening so she’s blaming herself for what happened.’

‘I see.’

‘I’m trying to understand why Satnam might have done this so I can reassure my daughter it wasn’t her fault and hopefully to prevent other similar things happening in future. That’s what we all want, isn’t it?’

‘Of course, Mrs Smith. But since none of us is able to speak with Satnam directly, our position at the university is to support her parents. They seem pretty convinced that the episode was an accident.’