He lowered his voice to a murmur. ‘I’d love to take you back to Clifftop right now if you weren’t busy and I wasn’t on stage soon.’

A jolt of lust shot through her. ‘Well, I am, and even if I wasn’t, we can’t bunk off, even though it would be very very nice.’ She sighed. ‘Very nice indeed.’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘That good, eh?’

She wagged her finger at him, but she was laughing. ‘Gabriel Mathias, I’m not going to boost your ego any more, but it was pretty special. Today, I’m Sam, Festival Director and I can’t afford to let anything get in the way of that. You do understand?’

His eyes glinted. ‘Yes. One step at a time. Sam, I want to talk to you.’

‘Talk?’ About the future. About them. ‘I can’t now. Or tomorrow.’

‘It has to be soon.’

She waved her hand at the crowds milling around the theatre. ‘When this is all over.’

‘OK, tomorrow night, then. At Clifftop House.’

She could tell from the firm tone of his voice that he was serious. She nodded, though her stomach swirled at the prospect. The future, even one so near as the following evening, scared and excited her in equal measure. Butterflies danced in her stomach.

‘I’d better let you get ready for your performance.’ She grinned. ‘Troy told me that a group of your biggest fans have been camped out since nine o’clock to get a front row seat.’

Gabe rolled his eyes. ‘Troy’s winding you up.’

‘I don’t think so.’ She pointed out a dozen women and a few men in the front row, some clutching recipe books. Imagine if they knew what their idol had been up to the previous evening, thought Sam, then reminded herself that they didn’t know the real Gabe; the skinny, bolshie daredevil from the chip shop.

‘I’d better get ready, as you say. Will you—’

‘Can visitors please stop throwing rubbish in the harbour.’

Gabe’s next words were cut off by a loud boom from the tannoy, which seemed to have been turned up to maximum volume. People ducked as if a bomb had gone off.

‘People with pets. If anyone is caught leaving their dog in a car, I will find them and I will deal with them.’

Sam’s hand flew to her mouth. ‘It’s Bryony! How did she get on the tannoy?’ Static crackled followed by an ear-piercing whine from the speaker next to the stage.

‘Jeez.’ Gabe put his hands over his ears.

Sam spotted Troy walking past the stage towards the Institute. She dashed over and took him aside.

‘Troy. Do you know why Bryony’s doing the announcements?’

‘The announcer’s been stung by a wasp and had a reaction. The first aiders are with him.’

‘Can’t someone else step in?’