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risk. If I get it wrong, their total money is doubled.’ Ker-ching! ‘But if I answer it correctly then it will be halved.’ Whooooop! ‘So, without further ado, let’s meet today’s four contestants!’
    I turned back to the players as, University Challenge -style, they introduced themselves. I glanced at Luke, mentally kicking myself again for having lost the list—at least I’d have had less of a shock.
    ‘ Relax Laura,’ I heard Sara whisper into my earpiece. ‘You look very tense.’ I softened my monkey grimace into a professional smile. ‘That’s better. And don’t go too fast.’
    ‘I’m Christine Schofield,’ I heard number one say. She was, as Marian had described her, blonde and attractive. ‘I’m from York and I’m a teacher.’
    ‘I’m Doug Dale,’ said the next. He was one of the train-spotters—late forties, bearded, bald and monkish, with large square glasses. ‘I’m from Islington and I write business reports.’ Standing next to Doug made Luke look even more attractive, with his fine cheekbones, and dark wavy hair, curling over his collar. All that suggested the passage of time was a nest of fine lines beneath his eyes. ‘I’m Luke North,’ he said, with a self-conscious smile. ‘I’m an art dealer and I live in West London.’
    ‘Hi, I’m Jim Friend,’ said the next contestant, a tall, scraggy-looking man in his mid-fifties. ‘I’m a mature student, studying psychology, and I live in Bedford.’ There was another, polite round of applause. I held up the cards. A hush descended.
    ‘Right. Here we go. First question. What was the Roman name for the city of Bath?’
    Doug Dale’s lectern flashed gold as he pressed the buzzer first. ‘Sulis.’
    ‘Technically, Aquae Sulis—but I’ll allow it.’ Kerching! ‘Which berries are used to flavour gin? Christine.’
    ‘It’s juniper.’
    ‘That’s correct.’ Ker-ching! ‘What is the capital of Liberia? Luke?’
    ‘It’s Monrovia.’
    ‘That’s right.’ Ker-ching! How bizarre, I thought, that the first words Luke should have said to me in twelve years were not ‘Hello, Laura,’ or ‘How lovely to see you again,’ or even, ‘I’m sorry I hurt you so badly,’ but ‘It’s Monrovia.’
    ‘Which Bronze age civilization was based on the island of Crete?’
    ‘The Minoans,’ said Jim correctly. Kerching! Now they all had two pounds.
    I looked at the next question card. ‘Which canal, spelled backwards, is the name of a Greek god?’ Luke buzzed first.
    ‘Suez.’
    ‘Correct.’ Kerching! ‘Making Zeus, of course. Who, in 1700, wrote The Way of the World ?’
    Doug Dale buzzed first. ‘Congreve.’
    ‘Yes. William Congreve.’ Kerching! ‘Which French royal house gave its name to a biscuit? Christine?’
    ‘Nice,’ she said confidently. Whooooop!
    ‘No—it’s Bourbon.’ Her two pounds went back down to one. ‘Edgehill was the opening battle in which war? Luke?’
    ‘The Civil War.’
    ‘More detail please.’
    He looked momentarily nonplussed and I was aware of the second hand moving noisily forward on the clock.
    ‘Oh. The English Civil War.’
    ‘Yes.’ Kerching! ‘Who was the Roman god of fire? Doug?’
    ‘Prometheus?’
    ‘No.’ Whooooop! ‘He stole it from the gods—it was Vulcan. What is the common name for a solution of sodium chloride in water? Christine?’
    ‘It’s brine.’
    ‘That’s correct.’ Kerching! ‘Which South American country was named after an Italian city? Doug?’
    ‘Argentina.’ Whooooop!
    ‘No—it was Venezuela, which was named after Venice. What is the meaning of “Caprine”? Luke?’ He was laughing for some reason.
    ‘Goat-like,’ he said firmly.
    ‘That’s the correct answer.’ Kerching! ‘As in capricious,’ I added. ‘From the Latin, “caper”.’
    And so it went on. ‘Who was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic?…No, not Amy Johnson.’ Whooop! ‘It was Amelia Earhart…What is a duiker? That’s correct, Jim—a small