‘No, no.’ He leaned to his left and picked up the mug. ‘I’d like to drink this first. You know, I really shouldn’t have had that final half. It’s done for me.’

‘Well,’ I shrugged, ‘you don’t do it very often, and I don’t know about you, but I thought the alcohol really improved the music.’

‘Yes, that early cover of Heaven is a Place on Earth really was hellish, wasn’t it?’

‘I was just relieved that Bill didn’t get us up on stage,’ I said. ‘Do you think he felt guilty about taking money from me for the tickets? I can’t think of any other reason for all the kissing cousins shout-outs.’

Giles yawned. ‘What an evening.’

I looked up from my tea to find him frowning down at Anthony, as he stroked the small dog’s head with a single finger.

‘You did enjoy tonight, didn’t you, Giles?’

He looked up but didn’t reply, instead gazing at me wordlessly for several seconds.

‘Giles?’

‘Oh, yes, sorry, I did have a very nice time. Sorry, Edie, I was rather lost in contemplation there for a moment.’

‘And what were you contemplating?’

‘Relationships. Cameron and Kerry seem so very happy in each other’s company, don’t you think?’

‘I do. There’s clearly a strong bond there.’

‘Yes, a very strong bond,’ he murmured. ‘That’s very important, isn’t it? Do you know, I’m not sure that I’ve ever quite had that in a relationship – with a partner, I mean.’ He looked down and resumed stroking Anthony’s head.

‘Oh, come off it,’ I cajoled. ‘You’ve had some lovely girlfriends and some very happy partnerships.’

‘Admittedly, but I’ve never felt a connection snap – or my heart break – at the end of a relationship,’ he replied, his frown deepening. ‘One would expect to experience that if one had a deep affection – a bond, as you put it – with one’s partner. I do sometimes wonder whether my heart has ever really been touched, romantically speaking. And maybe that is preferable: no gain, but no pain either.’

I said nothing, taken aback by his sudden decision to share his feelings. Of course, I assumed that three and a half pints of cider was playing a part in that, in the same way that booze had made it much easier for me to talk to Cameron about my university days and for him to tell me about his childhood in Hackney. But Giles had just made an unprompted reference to his love life and he’d never done that before, even when drunk.

He sighed and replaced his mug on the table. ‘So, I’m thinking of texting Melissa tomorrow.’

‘Oh, wow, that’s a brilliant idea!’ I exclaimed, surprised but relieved by the positivity of the suggestion, hot on the heels of such uncharacteristic, bordering-on-gloomy, introspection.

‘Is it?’ he asked.

My smile faded. ‘Isn’t it?’