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in Paris to make a living from my photography, but I’m not famous.’
    â€˜He’s being modest,’ I said. ‘He’s more than a jobbing photographer. He’s an artist. People hang his photos in art galleries.’
    â€˜That has happened only once,’ Alex said. ‘As you know very well, Anna.’
    To Rob, I said. ‘One of Alex’s photos won an extremely prestigious competition, and I wrote to congratulate him. Unfortunately, my French vocabulary let me down. Instead of telling him I was excited to hear of his success as I thought I’d done, I’d told him I was turned on by it. Je suis excité … In French, excite has a sexual connotation.’
    â€˜I was flattered,’ Alex said.
    Beth came into the living room and threw herself down in a chair. ‘Jonah went out like a light, thank goodness. Some nights, I have to read him his favourite story over and over again for about an hour before he drops off. I’ve been known to fall asleep before he does.’
    â€˜Looking after small children can be very tiring,’ Alex said.
    â€˜Not everyone realises that.’ Beth gave Alex an appreciative smile. ‘Anyway, enough of the joys of parenthood, what were you talking about before I came in?’
    â€˜Alex’s work,’ I said. ‘He’s photographed ever so many well-known people, politicians, actors, writers … and not just in Paris. He’s worked in New York, in LA, Japan …’
    â€˜Anna, you are embarrassing me,’ Alex put in, although he didn’t sound particularly embarrassed.
    I put my hand on his arm. ‘I’m proud of you, mon ami.’
    â€˜I used to travel for work,’ Beth said.
    â€˜What do you do, Beth?’ Alex asked.
    â€˜I gave up my job when I had Jonah,’ Beth said. ‘But I was a buyer – a trainee buyer – for a chain of department stores. Knitwear. I got to go to fashion shows in Milan.’
    â€˜Not Paris?’ Alex said.
    â€˜No, I never made it to Paris.’
    â€˜Paris is top of my list of cities that I’d like to visit,’ I said.
    â€˜I hoped to come back to London after my first visit,’ Alex said, ‘but my life took me to other places.’
    Rob frowned. ‘Can I smell burning?’
    â€˜Oh, no!’ Beth said. ‘The lasagne!’
    At that moment, the door to the living room swung open to reveal a pyjama-clad Jonah holding a teddy bear.
    â€˜Story?’ he said, hopefully.
    â€˜Not right now, sweetheart,’ Beth said. ‘You take him back to bed, Rob. I need to rescue our dinner.’ She hurried off to the kitchen.
    â€˜Come on, you.’ Rob swept Jonah up into his arms. ‘You two go through to the dining room. Help yourself to more wine.’ He went out, and I heard him telling Jonah he needed to ‘be a good boy and go to sleep now’ as he carried him up the stairs.
    I showed Alex the way to the dining room, and we sat down opposite each other. He poured us each another glass of wine. There were candles on the table, and as Beth had left out a box of matches, I lit them.
    Alex said, ‘I will show you Paris one day, Anna.’
    â€˜I’m holding you to that. It’s ridiculous that I speak French and I’ve never been to France. Not even a daytrip to Calais. When Beth and I used to go on holiday together, before she was married, we just chose somewhere hot with lots of nightclubs.’
    â€˜My beautiful city just couldn’t compete with Malia or Ayia Napa.’
    â€˜Exactly.’
    â€˜There’s something I’m going to hold you to.’ Alex leant forward, and put his hand under my chin.
    â€˜What’s that?’ I said, suddenly conscious of the touch of his cool fingers on my skin.
    â€˜Your promise to let me photograph you.’ As he had done on his first night in London, he turned my head from side to side.
    â€˜I’m looking forward