Safer to talk career, Bridge’s current obsession. Like a terrier with a rope, she found subjects hard to let go, badgering Carly to ask Ronnie Percy what she meant by ‘help out’. ‘Working with horses would be perfect for you.’

‘Doesn’t pay much though, does it? I’m best waitressing at the posh pub, I reckon,’ Carly said as her fingers clicked on the screen. ‘My mum used to love Sous Vide,’ she pronounced it ‘sows-vied’.

Bridge’s lip curled.

The nickname Sous Vide – literal translation ‘under vacuum’ – was strangely fitting given the way celebrity cook Suzy David sucked up to anyone who would further her career, and shrank away from hard-working commoners like Bridge.

‘Suzy David’s a sour-faced witch, trust me.’ She plonked back down on the sofa beside Carly. ‘I can’t believe I flew back here to be insulted. In fact, do you remember the words of that hex? We’ll cast a fecking spell on her.’

‘Don’t be daft,’ Carly scoffed.

But Bridge was already reaching for her iPad. Too much red wine always made Walsh women brazen. ‘It’s on Facebook, you say?’

‘You can’t curse the pub!’

Bridge had never realised there were so many incantations on offer if one had enough coloured candles and ribbons, a well-stocked herb garden and a chalk pentacle. ‘It says here tonight’s extra potent being New Year. Look at all these spells! This one promises to Bring Forth New Love?’

‘I’m fine in that department, thanks.’

She scrolled down. ‘Here we go, Get Your Dream Job – all we need’s white candles, olive oil and dried basil. Bit like a romantic meal, ha!’

New Year in the Comptons was proving much more enlightening than thigh-slapping her way through incomprehensible folk songs with Aleš’s family in Poland, Bridge thought cheerfully as she fell over the cats in the kitchen, forgetting that she hadn’t fed them. Within a minute, she’d gathered the ingredients and pulled back the rug to draw a wonky chalk pentacle on the flagstones.

‘Trust me, you’re getting me out of a tight spot with a kebab van and a potential lawsuit here,’ she told Carly, who had reluctantly knelt down beside her. ‘Right, we incant this…’ She swiped her screen lock code and started reading it out, ‘Ancient One of the earth so deep—’

‘You sure about this?’ Carly was fighting giggles.

‘Too right I am. You and me will be storming up through that glass ceiling this year, girl. Master of moon and sun, we summon you. Come, come, come!’

‘You’re hilarious. You should’ve been in the village panto,’ Carly snorted and started repeating the words, ‘Come, come, come!’

There was a sharp rap on the window and her giggles turned to a shriek. Flynn and the lads were peering in, a muffled cry going up through the glass, ‘What are you girls fucking doing?’

‘It’s a board game!’ Bridge waved a dismissive arm. ‘Stop spying.’

‘We’re going to the hall. You coming?’

‘We’ll follow you there!’ Carly looked at Bridge. ‘You’ll come too, won’t you?’