Jackie turned a face to her that wouldn’t have shamed the god Mars in its warlike ferocity and replied, ‘There is that too.’ She suddenly grinned. ‘But look, we all know it’s not going to work between them. Come on, girls: ideas!’

They all fell silent, including Guillaume, who seemed to have elected himself an honorary member and was twirling his moustache thoughtfully. ‘Parler comme un homme, speaking as a man, I would try and examine the reasons why he left. Was it just for sex with Suzi or something else?’

‘How are we going to find that out?’

‘I think –’ he stood back a pace, bracing for an explosion when he finished his sentence – ‘you should consult the lady up at the château. The one who is très élégante.’

‘You mean Margot? The duchess?’

‘Pah! The duchess is grand guignol! Something from a horror show! The other lady, she is the big friend of Madame Adams. I have seen her pass on her way to their house many times.’

The others looked on, awed, realizing he meant Meredith, whom Jackie considered as pretentious as her name. It was a rare occasion when Jackie Brown was lost for words, but this was one of them.

‘I think Guillaume’s right,’ Shirley announced bravely. ‘I’ve never thought Mr Adams was the philandering kind. I think it’s all a ghastly mistake.’

The object of this intense discussion sat at the sunny table outside Suzi’s house contemplating an enormous pile of rather stodgy-looking pancakes and feeling distinctly queasy. If he couldn’t find the nerve to tell her he wasn’t staying, his stomach might well take the initiative.

They had already had breakfast a couple of hours ago – croissants and pains au chocolat – but Suzi had brightly insisted they should have brunch in the garden.

In even a couple of days he had realized how very different their daily lives were. David’s had been strictly ordered by the demands of running a B&B, whereas Suzi’s life was exactly what she made it, which seemed to mean eating, drinking (a lot) and catching up with British soaps on TV. David hadn’t liked to admit that the last time he’d watched Coronation Street, it had featured Ena Sharples.

He also couldn’t help wondering how Steph was getting on. As he waited for Suzi to return with coffee (she had refused all offers of help) his mind wandered back to when they’d first bought Fleur-de-Lis all those years ago.