‘I don’t want to.’

Red with humiliation, she sat down and lunged for her glass. Next thing, Luke was out of his chair and extending his hand. ‘Come on, Dolores, why don’t you and me show them how it’s done?’

‘You mean…?’ Dolores’s face lit up. ‘Right, let’s go!’

As soon as Luke led her out into the middle of the dance floor, there were a few ribald whistles. Suddenly, a small knot of aunties, cursed with refusenik husbands, were alert and interested. When Dolores rotated to face them and Luke couldn’t see what she was at, she flapped her tongue towards her chin in a suggestive manner.

Mum had spotted them! Still waltzing with Dad, she covered a huge amount of ground at great speed and muscled in, fobbing Dolores off on Dad and sailing away with Luke.

‘I’m next,’ I heard Auntie Peggy say, smoothing down her dress and advancing with conviction.

Out of nowhere, several aunties and cousins—even those with dancing husbands—were forming an impromptu line. ‘Thirty seconds,’ a voice said. ‘Everyone gets thirty seconds!’ There seemed to be an accord and when the time was up, they ousted their predecessor, sliding into Luke’s arms, to take their place.

Auntie Dolores returned to our table, drained her glass in one grateful swig and looked around, desperately searching for a waitress.

I stood up. ‘I’ll get you a drink.’ Then I’d check on Claire and leave, I decided. Nothing was going to happen with Luke, I was delusional to have hoped that it might. ‘What would you like?’

‘Large brandy,’ she said. ‘A settler. Although I don’t know if I’ll ever be right again.’

Cutting across the dance floor, en route to the bar, Luke lunged into my path. ‘Two seconds, Imelda,’ he said, over his shoulder. Then to me, ‘When do I get to dance with you?’

Miserably, I flicked a glance at the impatient line up. ‘Ha!’ I forced a laugh. ‘They’d eat me alive.’

‘Rachel,’ he said, softly. ‘Dance with me.’

My mouth went dry.

He was suddenly extremely still, his dark eyes on mine. ‘That text the other day? It was for you. I lost my nerve.’

My lips formed a silent ‘Oh’.

‘The only woman I want to dance with,’ he said, ‘is you.’

For a long moment, I searched his face. He was so very serious about this.

‘Not here,’ I said, and surrendered him to Imelda.

Ten minutes later he cornered me.

I was back at the table, desperately trying to concentrate on a conversation with Angelo when Luke materialized on the chair beside mine. One second he wasn’t there, the next he was. When I saw him, I jumped.

Intent on me, he asked. ‘Where, then?’

‘Luke, I shouldn’t have said—’

‘Where?’

Silently, I shook my head.

He stared at me.