Helena wished she could join her. She knew that technically she may well be able to drink a small amount and still be safe to drive but she would never take the risk.

Gilly seemed to get through her second glass of sherry fairly quickly and they were ushered into the icy dining room with amazing views and a glass table. The surface of it was so cold that Helena was reluctant to let her wrists touch it. Perhaps the tabletop was a deliberate ploy to encourage good table manners. Cressida was very keen on table manners.

They started with a thin soup that may well have been hot when it left the saucepan but by the time it had been poured into enormous, icy plates, it was tepid. It also had no apparent seasoning. But still it was bound to be healthy and meant Helena could have a full-fat sausage roll or, indeed, almost anything else to compensate afterwards.

‘Did you know,’ said Cressida, ‘that you can lose weight just by not eating after seven o’clock at night and not having breakfast until nine o’clock. It’s not as good as doing twenty-four hour fasting, in my opinion, but you may find it helpful.’ She smiled at Helena as if she’d just asked her how Cressida kept her lovely figure, which she hadn’t.

‘I’m so glad it works for you, Cressida,’ said Helena sweetly, ‘but although you’ve tried before, I’m not interested in diets that make me think about food all the time. In fact, I’m not interested in diets at all. I’m perfectly happy with my shape.’

Cressida shrugged. ‘I was only trying to be helpful.’

‘We know,’ said Gilly, patting her daughter-in-law’s hand. ‘And you do always look so lean and fit, it obviously works.’

‘Personally, I’m only interested in diets that have Greggs’ sausage rolls on them,’ said Helena. Aware that everyone, including her five-year-old niece, was looking at her in horror, she went on: ‘I just mean, if I want a sausage roll I’m going to have one.’

‘No wonder you’re a bit—’ Cressida began.

‘Porky?’ suggested Martin.

‘I am not porky!’ said Helena.

‘Children!’ said Gilly. ‘Helly, Martin was only teasing. Don’t rise to it.’

Martin grinned. ‘If you eat pork, you’ll be porky.’

‘Anyway!’ said Cressida, getting up. ‘Let’s move on. I’ll get the salad.’

The salad was colourful and quite tasty with its ‘squeeze of lemon juice instead of an oily dressing’, as Cressida proudly announced. It wasn’t very filling though and Helena wondered if she could raid the box of shortbread when she helped clear up. She could do it while Cressida – or Martin – went to get more dirty plates from the table. But she lost hope in this plan when she realised how few plates there were for five people.