‘Don’t thank me until later,’ Holly joked. ‘It’s been so long since I’ve been to a function like this, I’ve forgotten how to behave myself!’

‘I’m sure that’s not true,’ Charlie replied, although he did look a little unnerved. He hopped out of the car, and before Holly could open her own door, he’d hurried round to her side and opened it for her.

Stepping out of the BMW in such a tight dress was a bit of an issue, and she was grateful for his hand as he offered it to her.

‘Did I tell you how amazing you look?’ he whispered into her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

‘Yes, you did,’ Holly replied playfully, ‘so stop trying to butter me up.’

‘As if I would!’ Charlie said. ‘Come on, let’s go and do this.’ And with that, they headed into the foyer of the hotel.

A little time later, and Holly was beginning to relax a bit. She knew, from Charlie’s slightly set jaw, that he was still feeling tense; he had his speech to come when coffee had been served after the meal. But the food was decent, and she was sitting next to the mild-mannered husband of the town’s mayor, who was doing a good job of lightening her mood. Aged around sixty, he had the slightly resigned air of a man who was used to being in the shadow of a politically powerful spouse, and he’d been pointing out people to her in a calm undertone for most of the evening.

‘On that table to your left are most of the members of the Stavenham Chambers of Commerce and their spouses,’ he was saying. ‘Perhaps you should have a word after dinner – get your name into the mix as a local business owner.’

‘I’m not sure they’ll have much to say to me,’ Holly’s eyes glinted. ‘I’m hardly their typical member.’

‘Still worth a chat,’ he replied. ‘All contacts are good contacts.’

The mayor was still chatting animatedly to Charlie, who was nodding and smiling, although Holly noticed he did seem a bit distracted.

‘Have you known him long?’ the mayor’s husband asked, catching the direction of her gaze.

‘Not very,’ Holly admitted. ‘And have you been married long?’

‘Forty years next year,’ he said. ‘Three sons and a daughter, and six grandchildren to show for it. And, for the past few years, quite a lot of these kinds of dinners.’ He patted a slightly paunchy belly. ‘Price you pay, among other things.’

Holly was intrigued. ‘Such as?’

‘Oh, you know,’ he smiled at her. ‘Being under scrutiny all the time, on display a lot, but also in the background. Keeping your opinions to yourself, in public, at least. I often wonder how the other halves of the really prominent politicians cope with it.’