It seemed to William that any attempt at conversation would be a pointless pretence and a denial of the subject uppermost in their minds, which Christopher was unwilling to broach. Christopher barely touched his food, but drank steadily instead, often staring for long periods into his glass, absorbed in his thoughts. A few minutes after they were served a main course of beef, which neither of them had touched, Morton came into the room to tell Christopher that there was a telephone call from Miss Gordon. ‘Thank you, Morton.’ Christopher glanced at William as he got up, his expression managing to convey a whole raft of anxieties, and yet revealing nothing at all. He was gone for about ten minutes, and when he returned he said, ‘Liz is going to come over tomorrow.’ ‘Is Sophie alright?’ ‘Yes.’ After that nothing more was said, and a few minutes later William excused himself and went to his room, leaving Christopher to brood alone. The following day Elizabeth arrived early in the afternoon.
