Karen extends her hand, but instead of taking it, Luna puts her own hands together and bows slightly.

‘Namaste.’

Her smile is so charmingly beautiful all Karen can do is stare back mutely and feel herself crumple up as she registers every last detail. The clean, make-up-free face, the golden skin that seems completely devoid of pores. The platinum blonde, closely cropped hair. I would never wear my hair like that, Karen thinks darkly. Not even if I were ten years younger and had a head like bloody Nefertiti.

Then she realises her hand is still hanging in the air and sheepishly retracts it.

‘Eh . . . hi.’

The music from the speakers and the din of the conversations that started up the moment Luna stepped off stage have settled like a thick blanket of sound over the room, drowning out her mumbled syllables.

‘Karen’s an old friend of mine,’ Kore hollers. ‘Well, of Eirik’s, really, originally. They’ve known each other since school.’

Luna seems to take no notice of this information. Instead, she keeps her eyes intently on Karen.

‘It’s lovely to meet you,’ she says, leaning forward. ‘Leo has told me how grateful he is to you for taking him in. He says you practically saved him.’

Karen can feel her face resist as she forces out a smile. Casting about for something to say while her mind obsesses about what a pathetic contrast she makes with the blonde woman standing still as a statue before her. She looks at Luna’s glass of what looks like mineral water and checks an impulse to take another sip of beer from the bottle in her hand.

Oh my God, say something. Don’t just stand there like an idiot.

‘Yes, and I’m grateful, too,’ Luna continues. ‘That you saved him for me, I mean. I would never have been able to set out on this wonderful journey without Leo.’

The way she lightly strokes his arm speaks of closeness. Intimate closeness. His hand is still on her back. Leo and Luna. How ridiculous. Something inside Karen draws itself up and she looks him right in the eye.

‘Oh, so you’re not just a musician anymore, Leo?’ she says. ‘Now you’re a travel guide, too?’

The divine one lets out a laugh. A tinkling, crystal-clear laugh and for a moment, Leo looks confused.

‘Luna meant a journey, like . . .’ He trails off.

‘Yeah, I got it,’ Karen says. ‘It was a joke.’

Luna has cocked her head slightly and is studying her. Thoughtful now.

‘Yes, Leo told me you’re funny,’ she says. ‘And sharp. But perhaps that’s a requirement for a police officer. And a landlady.’

‘Yes, perhaps,’ Karen replies tersely. ‘It was great meeting you, Luna,’ she adds, forcing out yet another smile while she pulls the keys out of her pocket. ‘But I’m afraid I have to be going now.’

Then she turns to Leo.