Suzy worked Dock of the Bay with almost religious fervour, listening intently to Drew’s instructions and obeying without demur. Maddy, who accompanied Drew’s small string occasionally on the plodding Solomon, watched Suzy, flying along the horizon in the early morning mist, crouched low over Dock of the Bay’s neck, with a lump of pride in her throat. There was only one drawback to all this frenetic preparation: despite Caroline’s absence, it meant she had had no time to see Drew on his own.

As a result of the media coverage of the skirmish, Bronwyn had decided to adjourn further meetings until after The Derby. It was felt that Milton St John had had its fair share of invasive television for the time being.

‘Luke’ll be here tomorrow,’ Suzy beamed two days before The Derby. ‘Emilio is letting him off to ride out Jefferson Jet for Diana. He can stay, can’t he?’

‘Of course.’ Maddy was distractedly wandering around the oblong bit of the kitchen trying to make a fish pie and wondering whether she dare ask Drew if Caroline was coming over for the Epsom meeting. ‘Although we’d better put him in my room. I’ll go in with you.’

‘No you bloody won’t.’ Suzy tugged off her boots and jeans on the kitchen floor. ‘I haven’t seen him for five days.’

‘Poor old you,’ Maddy mocked. ‘I just thought that athletes were supposed to refrain from energetic romping prior to a major event.’

‘Sex is now considered therapeutic.’ Suzy, stripped down to minuscule white bra and knickers, looked like a super waif.

‘Who says?’

‘Luke does.’ Suzy danced into the bathroom, singing along with the Michael Bolton tape as she turned on the taps. ‘Anyway, Mad, there’s something I wanted to ask you …’

Maddy looked at her sister’s pert face framed by the white-blonde bob and shook her head. ‘Don’t bother. I don’t think I’ll be able to help you. I think you’re way ahead of me.’

‘Not about sex. It’s about the other night, when I got arrested.’

Maddy paused in the middle of chopping parsley. Suzy had emptied half a bottle of Badedas into the bath and the wafts of woodland-scented foam clashed with the cod halfway along the hall.

‘I’ve been thinking.’ Suzy was peeling off her underwear with no signs of inhibition. ‘Before Diana fell into the stream, she said something about you. She said you’d told me something. I didn’t know what she was on about. Do you?’

‘Yes.’ Maddy scraped the parsley into the white sauce. ‘But I’m not going to tell you.’

‘Oh, Mad! Go on!’

‘No. Definitely not. At least, not yet. After the Derby I will … it won’t matter then.’