‘That would have gone down well.’
‘It did. So Jacqueline picked up her phone and followed Mum on the spot, and started asking about baking.’
‘I don’t believe it!’
‘I saw it with my own eyes. She said she’d never mastered even the basics?—’
‘True.’
‘—but surely it couldn’t be that hard.’
I laughed.
‘That sounds more like Mum. I hope Estelle didn’t mind?’
‘Oh no, she’s more than equal to that sort of thing. She calmly said that the basics weren’t at all hard, it was working atherlevel that was reserved for the very talented.’
‘Brilliant. Mum’ll be whisking up complicated pavlovas in no time under that sort of challenge.’
As we were smoothing the bed down, the door opened, and Theo came in. We both greeted him, but he bypassed us and went straight to Runcible, who he fussed over for a minute or two before turning back to us.
‘I had a good morning at the sanctuary,’ he said. ‘The police were there because someone shot a buzzard.’
‘How exciting,’ I said. ‘I hope they catch whoever did it.’
‘They will,’ he said, with all the innocent confidence of the very young. ‘And they let me sit in their car. Grandpa will showyou the photo. And then,’ he continued in a complete non-sequitur, ‘I told Dad that he is being very silly.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Coco.
‘Well, I asked him a few days ago if Fallon was his girlfriend and he said no, but he was thinking maybe she might be soon and did I mind? I said of course I didn’t. Then today I asked him again and he said no, and you weren’t going to be. Is that true?’
He fixed me with a gimlet glare. I glanced awkwardly at Coco.
‘Er, well…yes, it is.’
‘Why?’
As has been established, I don’t know many – any – children and have no idea what to say or not say to them. So once again I opted for the truth.
‘Well, you saw the upset I caused yesterday. I was busy working and couldn’t be here properly for either of you. That’s what me – my life – is like.’
‘You care more about work than us?’
I could feel a sweat breaking out on my lower back.
‘Well, no, I wouldn’t put it like that, exactly…’
I trailed off feebly. Theo was unmerciful.
‘You probably think I’m too young to understand, but I do, and I think you’re both silly. Dad worries about me a lot, but I worry about him too. I think he’s lonely. I think that because I am often lonely as well, so I know what it’s like. So I would like him to have a girlfriend. But not Annabel, because she treats me like a baby. You don’t. We both like you and I know you like us too.’
‘That’s true—’ I put in, before he continued with this uncharacteristically long speech.
‘We don’t need someone to look after us, we can already do that. But it is nice to have you here. If you like working, that’s okay. But it’s good to do more than just work.’ He regarded me seriously, then added, ‘I love Runcible too.’
I swallowed down tears.
‘I know you do. Oh Theo, it’s all a bit more complicated than that.’
