PB was renting a second floor flat in Portobello with the most magnificent sea views. I took him across the road one day to point out Berwick Law and the Bass Rock in the distance, and to introduce him to the gannets and their feeding habits.

When I checked my watch, I saw that I was running horribly late. I needed to get back into town quickly, but I was barefoot and my red Mary Jane shoes were still in PB’s rented flat.

I grabbed PB’s keys, crossed the road, pushed open the unlocked main door, and climbed the stairs to the second floor. The key ring was very full, but I soon picked out the key for the front door.

I reckoned that I could have found the right key blindfold. After all, it was not that long ago that my cruel lover held me captive in this building, taunting me daily with a key that he believed that I would never dare use to regain my freedom.