Oh, it’s my fault I suppose, I’ve protected you from so many things you would hate. You don’t underhand what the world’s like, my darling. At a place like that a woman like you—beautiful, innocent—men would take advantage of you. You could be very upset, and I should hate that. Believe me, Sarah, I’m right.’

She clutched at a straw. ‘If you just came and looked at the place. The lady on the phone sounded so nice—’

‘I don’t doubt it for a moment. And the man in charge would be nice too, he’d be very nice to you and before you knew it you would be in a situation that you simply wouldn’t know how to handle.’

Douglas, I am not a child!’

‘And that, my darling, is why I simply cannot let you go.’

There was a long, tense silence. Then Sarah said in a thin, high voice, ‘Am I never to be allowed out, then? Never permitted to go anywhere without a chaperone?’

‘Now you’re being silly. If it was necessary, if Susan was ill or anything, then of course you would have to go. But something like this—Sarah, come back. Please, Sarah, if you only give yourself time to reflect—’

The French door slammed with a bang, and all the glass shook. With the air of a man who is much tried, Douglas poured himself another cocktail.

In bed that night Sarah lay rigid, refusing to let her skin come within inches of Douglas. He was determinedly cheerful, whistling and humming until she could have brained him with the bedside lamp. That he wanted her, she knew with the instinct of long years of marriage, but when he reached as always for her breast she did not welcome him. Nonetheless, he pulled aside the silk of her nightgown and nuzzled her.

‘You’re tickling me,’ she said sharply. He was always so gentle that sometimes he made her flesh jump. He ran a hand up her thigh and she cringed away from his probing fingers, as unwilling a partner as it was possible to be. But her husband persisted, sure that he would rouse her to warmth, taking so long that she almost screamed with irritation. He would not stop and so she must pretend. She spread her legs and moaned a little, hearing him grunt with satisfaction before he levered himself on top of her. Then it was possible to let her thoughts wander, and as Douglas thrust and heaved she suddenly remembered her course, that tomorrow she would have to endure the humiliations of cancelling the booking, telling her mother and even confessing to her daughter that Mummy wasn’t to be allowed out. With a sudden sob she buried her face in Douglas’s shoulder.

Afterwards, he tried again to woo her. ‘It was good for you, darling, I can tell. You liked it, didn’t you?’

‘Yes, yes I liked it. I’m sleepy Douglas, let me go to sleep.’

‘I am right, you know. It’s only because I care so much about you, Sarah. If you only knew how much you mean to me you wouldn’t want to go.’

‘I know, I know. Let me go to sleep.’

‘But if you’d try to see my view of things—’

‘For Christ’s sake, Douglas, will you shut up and let me go to sleep!’

He recoiled as if savaged by his favourite spaniel and, sighing deeply, retreated to his own satin pillow.

There was an atmosphere at breakfast. Even the children noticed and bent their heads low over their plates.

Your meals-on-wheels day isn’t it, darling?’ queried Douglas.

‘Yes.