She had been trying to decide the best way of communicating to Philippe that she had changed her mind and would very much like to have dinner with him. Should she call, WhatsApp, or drop round in person to the restaurant with Nelly to break the ice? As it happened, she felt like a stroll and decided to put the whole thing out of her mind. Nelly at least would be happy about it.

It was a glorious evening. The air felt clear and heady, and she decided to climb the steep ridge on the far side of the river which led up to a causse or limestone plateau typical of the region. Clambering to the top was harder work than she’d expected, especially in shoes that weren’t intended for serious walking. Nelly, who took the climbing as a personal affront, had to be pulled all the way up.

No wonder Meredith was quite out of breath by the time she got to the top. Maybe she wasn’t as fit as she’d thought.

Once there, she stared down at the Savarin River. The blues and greens were so intense they reminded her of an enamel brooch her mother had owned, which she’d always admired. What had happened to that? How strange life was, the things, the experiences, the people who made up part of it. Now there was Philippe and for the first time in years, she actually felt something for a man. And it scared her.

‘Dad, lovely Dad . . .’ She found herself half praying, which was crazy, since she didn’t even really believe in God. ‘I’m not really sure what I should do next.’

Unfortunately, there were no signs from on high. No flashes of lighting, burning bushes or even swooping white birds – only Nelly smiling up at her.

‘I got you both wrong, didn’t I?’ She remembered part of the reason she’d taken the dog on in the first place was because she’d been wrong about Philippe. ‘You’ve worked out pretty well.’ She sat down next to the dog and stroked her soft ears. ‘Maybe that’s the sign I’ve been looking for.’

After the disastrous attempt at lovemaking, David was rather hoping Suzi might let things lie, if that wasn’t too ghastly a metaphor, for a little while.

But he didn’t know Suzi.

Sex was Suzi’s major weapon in her battle to win him and she was going to wield it like Cleopatra. Last night she had deployed a range of tricks he had no idea existed outside a Bangkok brothel, and all to no avail, he was still as soft as a limp handshake.