Charlie felt weak with relief, before a feeling of total embarrassment and stupidity took over. Slowing to a rather humiliated shuffle, he dropped his head, sweeping his rain-drenched hair out of his eyes as he did so, and then burying his suddenly shaking hands in his pockets.

‘One more time,’ Holly’s raised voice entreated. ‘Let all of that negative energy go; be filled by the positive energies of the hill and the forces that reside here.’

And yet again, guttural yells sounded across the vale.

‘And relax.’

Charlie saw Holly’s head drop to her chest, the graceful curve of her pale neck revealed as her sodden plait flopped over one equally white shoulder, drenched a deeper, almost blood red by the driving rain. Frozen there, transfixed by the vision of a soaking-wet Holly, it took him a moment to realise that he’d attracted the attention of her group, some of whom were now turning to look at him with either ill-disguised irritation or humour in their eyes.

‘Are you here for the deep-vision meditation session?’ a woman on the end of the row said, uncrossing her legs and turning towards him. ‘You’re a bit late – we’ve just finished.’

Charlie shook his head. ‘No. I’m not here for that—’ he paused, considering his next words carefully, ‘sort of thing. It’s your instructor I need to see.’

Holly was still facing away from him, her head bowed to the ground, the raindrops dripping from her plait and running down her back.

‘Holly,’ Charlie said gently. ‘I really need to talk to you.’

Time seemed to stand still as Holly slowly turned her head to look at him. Even from ten yards away, he could see the mixture of emotions flickering in her green eyes. First irritation, then hurt, then, and he was sure he didn’t imagine it, hope.

‘I’m in the middle of something,’ Holly said quietly.

‘Um… I thought we’d finished,’ the woman next to her said. ‘I mean, not that it wasn’t, er, therapeutic, but I’m soaked through to my knickers, sitting here. Isn’t it time we went back down the hill?’

Holly turned and smiled briefly. ‘Absolutely. If you want to head off home, that’s fine, but if you’re up to dropping back into the shop, there are towels, tea and cake down there.’ As the rest of her class staggered to their feet, Holly remained sitting but turned to Rachel. ‘Can you sort the drinks and cake out? Or tell Chelsea to do it? I’ll be down in a minute.’

‘Sure thing,’ Rachel said. As she passed Charlie, she looked him straight in the eye. ‘Fuck her up again, and I will remove your testicles,’ she murmured, smiling sweetly as she did so. Charlie didn’t want to know just how literally to take that threat.