She had also been stunned when she’d first seen inside the Airbnb the previous night. It was actually a Venetian loft, with original wooden beams in the ceilings and Caravaggio-style murals on the walls of every room, and furniture that wouldn’t look out of place in a high-end, five-star hotel. It really was spectacular, and she had sent Betty and Larry a text message to say thank you for choosing such a sumptuous place for them to stay. Betty had replied saying that Ellis had chosen it having stayed there before, and so of course Grace had then gone off to bed wondering if his girlfriend had been with him on that occasion. She had found out that her name was Jennifer and she had sounded very sophisticated and efficient when she had called Ellis’s mobile when he was in the bathroom last night.

Grace hadn’t been sure if she should take the call when the phone had rung, and had still been deliberating when Ellis had yelled for her to get it, if she wouldn’t mind. And so the woman on the other end of the line had started the conversation with a very breathy, ‘Darling, I’m looking at venues for our engagement party and would love your input …’ at which point Ellis had appeared and taken over the call.

Grace had heard him say, ‘Hi babe,’ as he padded off to the privacy of his bedroom and then, ‘Just work. I’m helping her out for my aunt and uncle.’ And then, ‘Sure, Jennifer, I can’t wait either,’ before promising to check his emails for details of the venues that she was going to email links to, and that he’d take a look and let her know his favourite one. So not only did Ellis have a girlfriend, but she was soon to be his fiancée, and so any flirty fantasy notions Grace might have inside her head must be banished immediately.

She had taken a deep breath and exhaled, as if to eradicate all but totally professional, work-related, searching-for-a-living-relative-for-Connie-type thoughts from her head, then and forever more. And there would be no more silly pondering on how soon-to-be-engaged Ellis’s thigh felt against hers. As Grace Quinn was most definitely not like that. No, she wasn’t a Perky Yoga One. And then, as if the universe had been colluding to reinforce this thought, Grace’s mobile had rung just as she was about to fall asleep and it had been Phil. And he had been absolutely fuming. Grace had never heard so much emotion from Phil, but then he never had been one for saying how he really felt, until last night …