‘Yeah,’ said Amelia, although she didn’t sound wholly enthusiastic. Certainly not the blissed-out joyful person of her social-media accounts. ‘I’d kind of like to get to know him more slowly, without all the others here, though. Say, for an afternoon at a time. A day even, now and then. Maybe he could come round to ours sometimes, when we’re back in Reading? You know, like you were saying about him coming over for Sunday dinner – that sort of thing. Just until we know each other better. What do you think?’

‘That sounds very sensible to me,’ said Maggie, scooping up the last forkful of baked beans. ‘So do you still want me to pick you up later on, or would you rather stick things out until Friday?’

‘Can you get me today? Like, as soon as possible?’ Amelia asked, her voice small. ‘Please? If it’s not any trouble or anything . . .’

‘Sure,’ Maggie said. It was only then that she remembered the other photos she’d seen on her daughter’s Instagram account: the antics with the tequila, the ‘naughty trip into town’ that Em had referenced. ‘It’s no trouble,’ she went on, ‘although I would like to have a proper chat with you later. About things that have been going on.’

There was a pause. No doubt Amelia was pulling one of her Mu-u-u-u-m grimaces at the prospect of a ‘proper chat’. ‘What sort of things?’

‘We’ll discuss all that later,’ Maggie said. ‘But right now I’d better get dressed and hit the road, hadn’t I?’

‘You’re not dressed?’ Amelia’s shock was almost gleeful. ‘Mum! I’m appalled. Standards are slipping without me.’

‘You’re not wrong,’ said Maggie, thinking about all the wine she, Em and Olivia had put away last night. ‘See you later then, love.’

The two of them would start again, she’d decided with a new optimism, finishing her breakfast and then hurrying up to the shower. They’d be honest with one another from now on. She’d have to admit to snooping on Amelia’s social-media life, but in turn Amelia would have to come clean about the tequila incident. And then Maggie would lay down a few strict new rules and insist that this was not a bargaining matter. Oh, help. Amelia would be hot-footing it straight back to Will’s at that rate, saying she’d changed her mind, you wait. But possibly not, she thought, remembering Amelia’s lukewarm comments about staying there just now.