‘Well, if you’re sure,’ she said. ‘But if I can’t help you now, how about coming round for a drink tonight once you’ve finished unpacking?’

‘That would be absolutely smashing. Thank you!’ exclaimed Giles, his colour deepening further under the weight of my shoes.

I pictured my laptop sitting unopened on my bed and the column of unanswered emails which had been growing in length throughout Friday while I’d been at home packing.

‘Edie?’ Giles looked at me questioningly.

‘Sorry, yes, that’s so kind, Kerry. So long as you’re not changing any plans for us,’ I said, reassuring myself that Sunday would be free from well-meant neighbourly invites, and mine to schedule.

‘I’ll be grateful for the adult company,’ she said, turning and walking up her path. ‘Shall we say eight, then? Don’t bring anything – just yourselves – and if you’re lucky, I’ll crack open some crisps.’

Chapter 9

Later that evening, I pushed the one suitcase I hadn’t yet finished unpacking under my double bed, before flopping down on said bed and surveying my new room.

Giles being Giles, he had given me the pick of all the bedrooms, including his own – a genuine offer which had caused me to roll my eyes, tell him what an idiot he was and love him more than ever. In the end, I had generously opted not to turf him out of his bedroom, instead requesting the third-floor room, which had a rather lovely view of almost the entire avenue. The choice also enabled Giles to retain as much privacy as possible on the floor below.

What I hadn’t expected, and what I discovered only on moving-in day, was that Giles had cleared the top-floor box room – which had, up until then, served as storage space in a house with no loft – and had installed a desk and shelving, thus presenting me with my very own study.

It couldn’t, I told Giles, have been more perfect. And while in other circumstances, I might have found the transition from sole occupier of a newbuild Harbourside flat to lodger in a shared Victorian house a depressing or demoralising one, I actually felt completely at peace about it. What’s more, I realised that, thanks to Giles, I had a sense of being domestically appreciated for the first time since my split from Jason.

‘Edie!’ called Giles. ‘Just to let you know that we are due at Kerry’s very shortly!’

‘Coming!’ Hauling myself off the bed, I made my way down two flights of stairs to find him waiting for me in the hallway, coat on and checking his reflection in the large, circular mirror which hung on the wall next to the vestibule. Anthony was stretched out across his feet, a habitual and occasionally successful tactic, employed to encourage Giles to take him with him whenever he went out.