As the jets of hot water were pummelling my body, I was thinking about Rita’s invitation. In town for one term only, and moving from one temporary address to another, I was always looking for a place to stay. So when she had told me there was a room available at her student hostel for a week, I had quickly accepted it. Clare was on a rock-climbing trip and could not be reached, but Rita thought she wouldn’t mind. Her mann...

They had been talking excitedly about their outing for weeks. Whenever Jill, Ariadne and Xenia went for lunch in the university cafeteria, the subject of their wild weekend would soon come up. I usually had lunch with them, so I followed their discussions and made a few suggestions. Jill was big and sassy, Ariadne was small and athletic, and Xenia, my favourite, was quiet and clever. I referred to them collectively as Jax...