This is a very, very nice chapter, but who are you referring to in the following paragraph:

“I’ve recently betrayed the two most important women in the my life you see. The problem is that one of them went away for a time, and then when I got her back I was so eager to spend time with her that I forget about the one who had nurtured me through her absence. A wise old hermit once counselled me that a man may not serve two masters, and my predicament is that — in doing so — I have ended up losing one friend and despising the other.” He inhales deeply, and swallows so that it echoes around the room. He looks sad, lost, but only for a moment. He smiles ruefully and shakes his head.

I'm thinking Liz and Jo, but I'm not sure.