“It sounds fine to me too,” Jasmine told them. Her eyes were fixed on Claudia. “I just don’t want you to start obsessing about it, Mum, and making yourself ill.”

“I promise I won’t,” Claudia told her, and because the tension needed diffusing, she said, “Now I think we should change the subject and ask Nana how she got on in London with Henry.”

With a weak laugh Marcy said, “It was wonderful, thank you, but I think we drank a little too much champagne last night. I’m awfully hungover. What about you? How was the ball?”

“She didn’t go,” Jasmine declared hotly.

Claudia turned to her in surprise. “How do you know?” she asked.

“Leanne told me when she and Tom came home. They were trying to call you to find out where you were, but you weren’t answering your phone. It’s only because you’d texted Happy New Year to me that I didn’t flip out and come looking for you.”

“Why didn’t you go?” Marcy wanted to know.

“Because I didn’t want to risk being a third wheel?” Claudia countered, trying to make it sound amusing.

Marcy’s eyes closed in dismay. “I was afraid that might happen,” she groaned, “but you’ve got no idea if this artist person was Dan’s partner for the evening—and you told me before I left for London that you were going.”

“I had to, or you wouldn’t have gone—and I was fine. It didn’t matter, honestly.”

Exasperated, Marcy said, “So you shut yourself up here and went through my room to find a letter from the very person you should be eliminating from your life, a letter I shouldn’t have kept, but did, and now we’ve got ourselves all unsettled . . .” She raised her hands, stopping herself from ranting any further. “This is my fault,” she stated, “so how about I try to make amends and take us to the Italian for an early dinner?”

“Deffo up for that,” Jasmine cheered eagerly. “I’m starving.”

Claudia said, “It’s not your fault, but we’ll let it go now, and I’ll call to make sure the restaurant’s open . . .”

“It is,” Jasmine assured her.

“OK, so do you think Henry would like to join us?”

Marcy’s eyes rounded with surprise. “Are you sure?” she asked carefully.

“Of course, I wouldn’t have said it otherwise.”

“Then I’ll give him a call,” Marcy responded, still looking doubtful, but starting to smile. “And while I’m at it, why don’t you get in touch with Dan to see if he’d like to come too?”