Jane, the head teacher, organized a little drinks gathering on Friday after school to welcome the new arrival and to say goodbye to Monsieur Matthieu, who had already turned sixty-five and had been kindly caretaking the post until his replacement was able to begin. Shona had already decided to dislike Mr O’Connor on sight and was irritated when Monsieur Matthieu introduced them to find the arriviste Irishman attempting to charm her in the same way as he had charmed the head. ‘Well, Mrs Khan, or Shona, if I can call you that, you’ve certainly received a glowing press from your old boss. I hope I live up to your exacting standards.’

‘I think you may have been misled, Mr O’Connor,’ Shona said frostily, with just the barest veneer of politeness. She was holding her glass of white wine stiffly, and not sipping from it at all. ‘I’ve heard my standards are nowhere near as exacting as yours.’

Monsieur Matthieu, who knew that Shona was still smarting about being passed over, thought about saying something to defuse the situation before remembering that he was now retired and didn’t have to care any more. ‘Oh look, nibbles!’ he said. ‘How marvellous. I’ll see you in a minute, my dears. Must get to them before Jonty wolfs the lot.’

Left to themselves, with Shona looking mutinous and determined not to break the embarrassing silence, Mr O’Connor sipped his soft drink calmly and eventually said, ‘Shona, first of all, please call me Dermot. We’ll be working together, and there’s really no excuse for not being on first-name terms. Secondly, I know it’s no secret that my appointment was something of a … disappointment for you. But there it is, and we both have to get on with it. In my experience it’s the only thing you can do.’ He attempted a slight laugh, which he cut short when he saw that Shona showed no sign of defrosting.

Shona thought such frankness was verging on the ill-bred. Why did he have to say out loud what they both already knew? It hardly helped her save face for him to brag openly that he had got the job instead of her. Some things, most things, in fact, were better left unsaid.

‘So what is your experience, exactly?’ Shona said. ‘Jane was rather vague when I asked.’ Seeing as she was stuck with him and couldn’t politely get away until someone joined them, she might as well find out what had made him such a good find and worth waiting over half a term for.

‘Well, I’m from Ireland, originally. I went to university in Dublin, and then went back to teach near my home town. Do you know County Kerry?’