He’s tall, dark-haired, sophisticated. He wears crumpled linen with confidence and is probably older than her father. No ring on his finger but he’s married. I can always tell. Married men acquire sleekness. Less of the hunter, more of the gatherer, even when, like this one, they are still on the prowl.

‘I’m delighted to meet you, Mrs Saunders.’ Without asking, he takes my trolley and steers it assertively to the carpark.

‘Oh, Mum, you really do look fantastic. That tan. I thought you were exploring icebergs not sun worshipping.’ Ali quickens her pace to catch up with Mark’s long stride. ‘Your apartment is lovely. I checked it last night to make sure everything was okay. Mark is going to drop us off there and come back for me when I’ve heard all the gossip.’

Ali has the key to the two-bed apartment in Chelsea. The rooms are smaller than I imagined when I viewed them online. I’ve taken the lease for two months and it will serve its purpose while I look for somewhere more permanent.

‘I’ll be back in an hour,’ Mark says after he carries my cases into the bedroom. ‘I’ll text to let you know I’m outside.’

‘It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Mrs Saunders.’ His use of my surname suggests he’s placing an age barrier between us. Does he find it disturbing to know his girlfriend’s mother is younger than him? He gives a slight bow in my direction. I almost expect him to click his heels.

‘Thank you for collecting me from the airport, Mr Brewer.’ I’m equally polite. ‘I haven’t seen Ali for many months so I’m sure you can appreciate why I want to spend more than an hour with her.’

‘Oh, Mum.’ Ali raises her voice in protest. ‘Mark is extremely busy – ’

‘Then I’ll organise a taxi for you or you can stay here for the night.’

‘That won’t be necessary.’ His voice is smooth, assured. ‘I’ve been selfish wanting her all to myself.’ He places his hand under Ali’s chin and casually kisses her. I know there’s nothing casual about it. He’s marking his territory, laying down his ground rules. ‘Text me when you’re ready, Alysia, no matter how late, and I’ll pick you up.’

Alysia. When did I last hear that name? Probably at the baptismal font.

‘What was all that about, Mum?’ She rounds on me as soon as he leaves. ‘You sounded so rude.’

‘Rude. How could you let him dictate to you like that? What’s going on between the two of you?’

‘Love, that’s what’s going on.’

‘You must be joking. He’s as old as your father, if not older.’

‘Since when has age anything to do with love?’

‘He’s married, Ali.’

‘He’s getting a divorce, just like you and Dad.’ She marches across the room and swishes the curtains closed. ‘A perfect divorce, unlike you and Dad.’

‘Are you living with him?’

‘Sort of.’

‘What exactly does that mean?’

‘I’m still living with Christine but we intend on moving in together as soon as possible.’ She twitches a fold in the curtain then strokes it back into place. ‘I don’t appreciate this level of third -degree questioning. You don’t know the first thing about Mark yet you’re just as judgemental as Dad was. I hope you’re not going to start interfering in my life.’

She looks as if she’s about to stamp her foot. She was an expert on stamping by the age of two. Instead, she settles for a flurried shake of her head. ‘The way Dad went on about The Arboretum Affair you’d think I was dancing around a pole instead of acting in an amazing play.’

The euphoria I felt as I disembarked at Heathrow is rapidly beginning to fade. ‘I don’t want to interfere in your life. And the last thing I want is an argument.’

She shrugs, slightly mollified. ‘I don’t want to fight either… but Mark is very important to me. I was beginning to lose hope until I joined Barnstormers. You’ve no idea what it’s like out there. All those auditions. It’d be easier swimming with a school of piranhas. Mark’s a wonderful director. I’ve learned more from him since I joined Barnstormers than all my years in drama school. And The Arboretum Affair has been so successful. He believes it will run for at least a year.’

‘Why aren’t you on stage tonight?’

‘I changed my night off so that I could meet you.’ She snuggles down on the sofa beside me. ‘Tell me everything about your trip.’

‘It was great to see Jenny again.’

‘You said she’s met someone. What’s he like?’

‘His name is Larry. He’s her cameraman so they’re well matched.’ I tell her about this friendly Canadian who has made Jenny happy and how he proved to be an entertaining guide during the time I spent with her.

‘And the twins? I’m dying to hear all about them.’

‘They’re in love with California. I can’t see them ever coming back here.’

Samantha filled me in on their life plan before I left. After they graduate they’ll run competitively until they stop winning gold. Then they’ll study sport psychology and work with the next generation of elite athletes. I listened and marvelled at their confidence. How did they get to be so very certain of everything?

‘What else can we be?’ Samantha was surprised by my question. ‘It’s the strength of being a plural.’

I’m still filling Ali in on my hectic Californian holiday when her phone bleeps. She stands up and checks the window.

‘It’s Mark,’ she says. ‘He’s outside.’

‘He won’t turn to dust if he has to wait an extra minute.’

She pulls on her jacket and zips it to the neck. ‘He’s thinking of moving to New York when his divorce comes through.’

‘So… what are you saying?’

‘He’s asked me to go with him.’

‘What do you want to do?’

‘To be with him wherever he goes.’

I stand on the balcony and watch her running towards his car. The interior light switches on when she opens the passenger door. He leans across to greet her. Everything about him alarms me. If only I could take Ali in my arms and run with her to a safe place. Lock her in a tower and cut off her long black hair. But Ali has long outgrown my protective shadow. She’s a young woman in love and if this man is not to my satisfaction that’s my issue, not hers.

Chapter 45

I enrol in The Bonnard Art Institute where I’ll attend classes five mornings a week. I plan to rent a studio and paint in the evenings. London is vibrant after the silent grandeur of Alaska. Here, in the midst of clamour and crowds, I’m as anonymous as I was among the ice floes. Everyone is in such a hurry. Why are they rushing? To what? To where? Stuart’s ashes float on icy tides and all that remains are memories and the generous legacy he left me.

The rental property market is a battle ground. Sky high prices and a queue of people all with their eyes on the same flat, maisonette, mews or bijou. I stay away from houses with bay windows and try not to think of Karin Moylan each time I pass those warmly-toned Victorian dwellings with their brightly painted doors. But the act of not thinking brings her more vividly to mind. I also ignore the tall white houses with their columned fronts that form such elegant terraces and can only be rented by millionaires. I’ve no interest in the detached luxurious homes that remind me of Bartizan Downs or the suburban semi’s where Jake and I reared our family. One by one I’m shedding layers yet I still don’t know where I want to live.

I check out a two-bed flat in Tower Hamlets. The second bedroom has good light and could work as a studio. I can turn it back into a bedroom when Ali or Brian visit. There’s a lot of interest, the estate agent warns. She’ll let me know when all the viewings are complete. I’ve three more viewings in the area this evening and an hour to kill before checking out the next one.

The café I enter is full. A woman looks up from the newspaper she’s reading and gestures towards the empty seat at her table. Her face is large, dominated by a domed forehead and broad chin. I’ve almost finished my coffee when she stares at my right shoulder, her gaze suddenly unfocused.