I can’t face turning on the light, so I sit in the dark and try not to think. After a few minutes, I hear footsteps on the stairs and turn to find Jake standing there. ‘I couldn’t sleep either,’ he says.

‘I can make you some Horlicks.’

Jake nods and we head into the kitchen. I go through the routine of making his drink, while he sits at the table and watches me without speaking. When the milk has boiled, I hand over his cup and sit down opposite him.

‘That was a bit of a conversation stopper,’ I manage eventually.

‘I know,’ he says, stirring his milk. ‘I didn’t mean to blurt it out. It was stupid of me.’

‘It sounds as if Neve has been more stupid.’

‘We’ve both behaved very badly,’ he admits. ‘And I’ve been sacked. Well, I resigned, but it was only a matter of time.’ He gives me a sheepish glance. ‘She was sleeping with my boss too.’

‘Busy girl.’

‘That’s all over now. And she’s got the bullet as well.’

This is giving me a headache. ‘What a very tawdry tale.’

‘I know. How did we ever make such a mess of things?’ I would, if I had any fight left in me, dispute the word ‘we’. But I guess he may have a point. Jake drags his fingers through his hair. ‘I didn’t mean for any of it to turn out like this.’

‘No,’ I agree. ‘I don’t suppose you did.’

‘But in a strange way,’ he continues, ‘it’s been good for us.’

I’m not going to ask Jake to qualify the word ‘good’ either.

‘It’s made me realise how much I want to be with you.’ Jake reaches out for my hand—the one that doesn’t look as if it’s been whacked by a mallet. He toys with my fingertips and I haven’t the strength to move them. ‘And then tonight—’ Jake’s voice cracks. ‘I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you.’ He rubs his hands over his eyes and I can see that they’re red-rimmed. ‘I want us to get married. Right away. We’ve messed around for too long. I can get a new job. A better job. I’ve had a couple of interviews and they were very keen. I got a great reference—’

I look up at him in surprise.

‘I forced Alec to type it before I hit him.’

I smile, though I don’t think it reaches my lips. That’s fairly typical of Jake.

‘The thing with Neve,’ he says haltingly, ‘it confirms that I can become a dad.’ It obviously pains him to speak of it. He fights to hold on to his control before he continues. ‘I want children. I know that now. I want loads of them. And we can do it.’ He sounds very impassioned. ‘Together, we can do it.’