This temporary amnesia was being helped along by a visit from the older boys, who brought him sweets, followed up with a hefty dose of paediatric pain relief once his visitors had left, with the other welcome side effect being that he was drowsy and somewhat more compliant than usual, which was a good thing, for a sleepless night at the hospital had made James ill-tempered. He began the phone call to Oliver’s mother with a gentle and, Eleanor thought, very convincing reassurance that everything was well; he remained silent during her scathing indictment of his capabilities as a father, interspersed with frequent reference to the likelihood that Oliver’s schooling, due to commence on his fourth birthday two weeks from now, would undoubtedly have to be delayed, with disastrous and somewhat overstated consequences; he even managed to utter a polite farewell at the end of the conversation, such as it could be called that. However, the terms in which he referred to her after he hung up were far from polite and so unlike James that they left Eleanor agape.
