No chance to talk to anyone about what had been revealed in Bohemia; I’d decided I preferred the old name for that part of the Czech Republic. As we pulled up in the stable yard Dad muttered a few words of thanks to me for accompanying him. I could barely frame a response. I dragged my bag up the stairs to the apartment. Almost too late to reclaim Samson from Simon, but I longed for my dog, for the clean, earthy smell of his coat, his enthusiastic and uncomplicated greeting. Simon was a night owl. I’d ring him. ‘Meredith?’ He sounded flustered. Probably doing the next half-term’s lesson planning. I asked if I could collect the dog. A pause. ‘That’s fine. I’ll have his things ready.’ ‘It could wait until tomorrow morning if it’s too late now?’ ‘Seriously, it’s fine. See you shortly.’ He greeted me at the door with a carrier bag full of the dog’s food and bedding. ‘He’s been good as gold.’ Samson shot out of the door, all damp nose and windmill tail.
