It took him several seconds to answer. ‘I get you,’ he said in a small voice. ‘You’re the one with the anger so I can’t say whether it’s gone or not, right?’

‘Right,’ she agreed. She glanced at her email inbox. No receipt yet. ‘I’m not sure why you’re calling.’

‘Please don’t sleep with him,’ he blurted. Then, in a voice of dawning horror, ‘Have you slept with anyone since we split?’

‘Stop,’ she said flatly, not even attempting patience now. ‘Please, stop. You’re alternating between playing the victim and trying to control the uncontrollable. Neither is appropriate.’

She heard him suck in a long, deep breath. When he spoke again, his voice held a calm-down-woman note that made Zia grit her teeth. ‘Let’s not confuse the issue. I rang about the date. As you’ve been there only a short time it must be with a man you don’t know well so he’ll just be using you for sex.’ He gave a self-deprecating laugh. ‘Call it male protectiveness but I’m looking out for you.’

‘OK, let’s not confuse the issue,’ she parroted. ‘If I have sex with my date I’ll be using him as much as he’ll be using me. And what you call protective, I call meddling. Even when we were together, we butted heads about whether you had the right to tell me what was safe for me – the answer is “no”. And … well, just, how dare you?’

‘How dare I?’ he echoed. Astonishment vibrated across the airwaves.

‘Yes! How dare you express an opinion on my life? Call another man out on their sexual behaviour? Have you any idea how it felt to see you having sex with another woman and panting that she was “the best fuck of your life”? With our friends there to hear?’ She’d buried this particular insult in the chaos of the moment but now felt a good moment to dig it out and brandish it in his face.

He made a sound as if he’d just swallowed his tongue. ‘Zia, I didn’t mean it literally! Men will say and do anything when they’re drunk.’

Zia fell silent, mentally replaying his words. Outside, the crunch of tyres on the drive heralded the approach of a vehicle. Doors slammed and she heard the Dutch guests calling to each other in their musical language. She selected her iciest tone. ‘So, you’re saying that when alcohol’s involved I could never trust you, even if I did give you the second chance you keep asking for?’

He made the tongue-gulping noise again. ‘I didn’t mean that precisely …’