‘Yes, well, he’s gone now,’ I add. ‘At least he’s not really in my life. No more than necessary anyway, and these things happen, don’t they?’

‘Er, yes, they certainly do.’

‘And everyone gets on with their lives,’ I add, conscious of adopting a brisker tone. ‘Oh, I meant to tell you,’ I add quickly, ‘I wrote the Girl Friday proposal and sent it off.’

‘Brilliant,’ he says. ‘Any news yet?’

‘No, nothing so far.’ I glance at him. ‘It’s driving me mad, this waiting. I know it’s only been three days, and I need to stop being such a child about it …’ I pause. ‘If they decide to go ahead, could we get together and have a chat about your mum, and your memories of that time?’ I break off, remembering the interview I read, about how hard it was when Penny was starting out. ‘If it wouldn’t be an imposition,’ I add, at which Nick chuckles.

‘An imposition? Not at all. I told you I’d be delighted to help. And even when I’m back home in New Zealand, I’m only a message or a call away if you need anything.’

‘That would be great, thank you.’

‘I’ve always wanted to make a film about Mum you know,’ he adds. ‘It’s the obvious subject for me – the whole Penny Barnett story from the sewing machine on a desk in her bedroom to the height of her success, and why it all ended, if she’d be prepared to talk about that. But it’s unlikely to ever happen. I’ve tried to broach it, but she’s always seemed terribly unkeen.’

‘D’you know why?’ I ask, intrigued.

Nick shrugs as the girls run towards us with Bobby tearing ahead. ‘I suspect it’s a mother-and-son thing, that I’m too close to her, and maybe she worries she’d reveal too much.’ He shrugs. ‘But I’m only guessing. Maybe she thinks it’d be too much hassle, and she can’t see the point.’

‘That could be it. What a shame, though. A film about her would be fascinating.’

‘Yeah, but this event you’re proposing, with a show and an exhibition – I was going to say it’s the next best thing, but in some ways, it could be even better.’

‘Really? Why’s that?’

‘It’d seem more real, somehow,’ he replies, ‘seeing the actual clothes being modelled, right here in her home city, like Girl Friday coming back to life. And who knows what it could lead to for her?’

I look at him and smile. ‘That is, if she’s happy about having her life put on display like that.’

‘Yeah. But honestly,’ Nick says, as we all head towards the park gate, ‘I think she’d love it really. I mean, how could she not?’

Chapter Twenty-Five

Monday, September 16