She shook her head ecstatically and pointed to the centre of her mouth. ‘I lost a tooth,’ she informed him proudly.

He studied the gap with great interest. ‘That’s very impressive. When did that happen?’

‘Last week,’ she said.

‘I’m sorry I missed that.’

‘I saved it for you,’ she reassured him.

‘Then I’ll look forward to seeing it,’ he said gamely.

Mitzi promptly pulled it out of her pocket. Alex heard Corinne give a soft choke of laughter.

‘How about selling it to me?’ he said. ‘I’ll bid you a pound.’

Mitzi made a face.

‘One pound fifty?’

She finally got him up to two pounds and the deal was struck. Mitzi pocketed her profit and went off to explain to Bobby how to do business.

‘A chip off the old block,’ Corinne said when Alex joined her in the kitchen.

‘Better,’ he agreed. ‘At her age I’d have settled for fifty pence.’

‘Ah, but don’t forget inflation,’ she said, teasing. ‘I’ll say this for you-you coped very well with that tooth. I thought it was going to faze you.’

‘Nothing fazes me,’ he insisted. Then he looked at the tooth in his hand. ‘What am I supposed to do with this?’

‘Treasure it.’ She laughed. ‘You just paid a high price for it. I expect you’re ready for something to eat.’

‘I don’t know when I last ate,’ he admitted.

‘I do,’ she said, giving him a friendly smile. ‘Breakfast was a cup of black coffee. You meant to catch up at lunchtime, but you were caught between meetings so you made do with a sandwich.’

‘Am I that predictable?’

‘Yes.’

‘I had a roll in the car on my way here.’

‘Oh, well, then. You don’t need the steak I got for you.’

Suddenly he was ravenous. ‘Just try me.’

She poured him some tea, very strong and heavily sugared, as he liked it, and he wandered into the next room. Like the rest of the house, it was decorated with paper chains and tinsel.