Louise looks impressed. ‘Wow, how did you know that?’

‘Because I’m a Leo,’ says Akila, grinning. ‘No—I am a Leo—but me and my sister Daks—such a Sagittarius, you would not believe, so commitment phobic that she makes me sign her phone contract—when we were kids, we were obsessed. We used to read Bliss and Sugar and plan our lives around them. A lad in a green jumper will make your day, watch out for crossed wires on the seventeenth, all of that. Daks got into tarot too, more than me, I was a bit spooked by it but it was good fun.’

‘Of course you’re a Leo,’ says Kim. ‘Scorpio here, with Aries rising. Your rising sign is important, because some people will not date Scorpios, period. So I have to get the horoscope conversation in early. I’ve given myself a second birthday in April, just in case.’

I’d expect Harri to roll her eyes at the horoscope chat, but she joins in. ‘I’m pretty sceptical, but Akila, you are a total Leo. Imogen, I’m on the cusp too. August the twenty-fourth, which makes me Leo/Virgo.’

‘Tabitha, what star sign are you?’ asks Louise. ‘Obviously it’s bullshit and I don’t believe in any of it, but Capricorn,’ Tabitha says, icily. ‘Ah, that must be where you get your sunny, obliging nature!’ jokes Harri. It does not land. ‘I mean, Capricorns are famous for being quite steady, aren’t they? Very hardworking, and diligent. And I really see that.’

‘I think there are some really cool Capricorns,’ says Kim. ‘Dolly Parton. Michelle Obama. Zayn Malik.’

Unexpectedly, Tabitha looks fascinated. ‘Is that true? How do you know that?’

Kim looks puzzled. ‘Um, I don’t know! The internet? It’s like knowing your multiplication tables. Although now that I think about it, I’m not absolutely sure that I do know those.’

I think about this all the time. ‘Why do I know, say, celebrity star signs, and not French? Or why is it that, without thinking, I can remember all of the words to “Don’t Stop Believin’’’ but I couldn’t tell you, for definite, when the Second World War ended?’

Louise nods. ‘I know absolutely nothing about history, any of it—but I can tell you every single Bake Off winner and their winning showstopper.’

Tabitha goes to the loo, Louise goes to the main bar to ask about our ‘hot alpine hors d’oeuvres’ and Akila asks me if I’m making any birthday resolutions. I smile. ‘I love that—a personal new year. Although the actual new year was so recent that I’m not sure I can come up with anything. Did you make any, on your birthday?’