Ingrams left the kitchen, but as he did so he gave Jasmine a stare that indicated he was only cooperating on the understanding that this would be explained later.

The explanation was simple. Neil was clamming up because they had started skirting territory that men didn’t open up about around other men.

‘How long have you been married?’ Jasmine asked him, once she was sure Ingrams had withdrawn outside.

‘Six years now,’ he said neutrally. He then offered a smile, like it had belatedly occurred to him that his flatness had given something away.

‘Not all plain sailing, I’d guess,’ Jasmine ventured.

‘What do you mean?’ he asked defensively, ready to robustly rebuff any attempt to impugn the perfection of their relationship. Jasmine had been banking on it.

‘Nothing. It’s just, I used to go out with a guy whose parents had both died when he was ten. Car accident. Utterly devastating. I mean, ten. He must have felt so lost. He was brought up by his mum’s sister. I liked him, but he never really let me close, you know? I mean, we joke about all guys being reluctant to commit, but in his case it was the real deal. It wasn’t just me. Nobody got close, in case he lost them.’

Jasmine watched Neil’s expression soften, the defences drop and an engagement enliven his features, an eager recognition that she was talking about something he was uniquely qualified to understand. She took it as a great compliment to her acting ability and improv skills, given that she was completely making it up.

‘That was Anne,’ he said quietly, with a bittersweet smile. ‘Only ten times worse. She didn’t just have your standard orphan’s abandonment issues to contend with, because it wasn’t merely about something that happened to her parents. It was something her parents did to her. They were last seen heading southbound out of the city on the M74. Where were they going? And more importantly, why were they going there without her? They were supposed to be picking her up around then, on the complete opposite side of the city. Imagine having those kinds of unanswered questions in your head your whole life.’

‘You must have been pretty tenacious. I’m guessing she pushed you away a few times.’

He gave a short, dry laugh of recognition.

‘Suffice to say, I must have been the most anxious bridegroom in recorded history. I remember thinking to myself: why does the registrar have to speak so slowly? Hurry up and make it official before she bails on me again.’

Jasmine gave him an encouraging smile.