Gilly wished Leo hadn’t been so keen to come to her early and help. She found it slightly difficult to talk to people and cook – unless it was breakfast when she was so practised. But his enthusiasm for her company was flattering. He obviously wanted the lunch to go well as much as she did. Now, she was whisking her gravy, wondering if there was enough and, as always, deciding there wasn’t.

‘There’s always a point with gravy,’ she said to Leo, who was pulling corks out of the bottles of wine that he’d brought, ‘when it tastes perfect, but wouldn’t give people more than a teaspoon each. You have to steel yourself to possibly ruin it when you add things to make it enough.’

‘Wouldn’t it be better to have a teaspoon of perfect gravy than a lot of substandard stuff?’

Gilly was horrified. ‘My gravy is never substandard and not enough gravy is the most depressing thing. I’m going to get out my “Mother’s little helpers”.’

‘Which are?’

‘Soy sauce, Madeira, Bisto, they all have their place.’ She really wanted him out of her kitchen. ‘Leo, I know I don’t know you very well, but do I know you well enough to ask you to set the table? Everything you need should be in the sideboard in the dining room?’

‘Of course, anything I can do to help.’

Gilly turned on her fan oven. Most of the meal was being cooked by her large range but she wanted control for her Yorkshire puddings. She was always a bit nervous about them but with Cressida coming, she really wanted them to be right. Although it should have been Leo she was keen to impress she trusted him not to be critical about them. The beef was superb, resting under layers of tea towels. The potatoes were perfect, the roasted carrots buttery and sweet. The broccoli and were all ready to steam. All she needed now was a couple of trays of nicely risen Yorkshire puddings. Ismene, her only grandchild, loved Yorkshire puddings. She wanted them right for her especially.

While she sorted through the cutlery fresh from the dishwasher – Leo would find a lot of things missing in the sideboard drawers – she thought about the enormous bundle of narcissi Leo had brought. They were so perfect. Much nicer than lilies or something more exotic and there were so many of them! She never liked flowers out of season and he obviously felt the same. It was all going so well. They’d been out for dinner the previous evening and it had made her so fluttery and excited.

‘Shall we introduce ourselves?’ suggested Leo as everyone arrived at once.

‘Good idea,’ said the tall man who’d arrived with Helena.