‘Your dress is nice, Maddy.’ Bronwyn Pugh leaned across the table. She had a double cream moustache. ‘I was just saying to your mother, what a pity you don’t wear girly things more often.’

‘I’m not very fussed about clothes, really. I never have been.’

‘Oh, I adore them.’ Caroline laid down her spoon.

‘Yes, dear.’ Bronwyn nodded. ‘You can tell. That dress you’ve got on – is it knotted or crocheted?’

‘It’s hand-knitted. In silk.’

‘I think I saw the pattern.’ Bronwyn helped herself to another hunk of pie. ‘Wasn’t it in last month’s People’s Friend?’

Drew was laughing. Maddy could feel him. She moved her leg closer and he stopped. Fran had suddenly found something interesting in the bottom of Richard’s pudding dish which made her shoulders shake.

‘No.’ Caroline was straight faced. ‘Actually it’s by one of Drew’s owners, Kit Pedersen. He’s a designer. In Jersey.’ She smiled across at Maddy. ‘I nearly always shop designer.’

‘Oh, of course,’ said Maddy, who nearly always shopped in Oxfam. ‘Who doesn’t?’

She almost squeaked out loud when she felt Drew’s thigh returning like a homing pigeon. She dropped her spoon.

‘Let me.’ Drew had dived under the tablecloth. Maddy leaned down as well. It was very dark. His face was very close.

‘Don’t fall out with me,’ she whispered. The blood was rushing to her head. ‘Not over Peter. Please.’

Drew handed her the spoon, his fingers brushing against hers. She wanted to taste him.

They straightened up. Dishes were being scraped. Glasses were being topped up. Richard was slumped sideways on the ottoman.

‘Mad?’ Suzy managed to prise her mouth away from Luke’s. ‘Are we going to play games now?’

‘This isn’t a children’s tea party, Suzy,’ Mrs Beckett chided with a ladylike hiccup. ‘I don’t think anyone wants to play hunt the thimble or hide the slipper … no, I mean hide the thimble or –’

‘I wasn’t thinking of –’

‘I know exactly what you were thinking of.’ Maddy tried to glare but couldn’t quite get the expression right. ‘If you help me clear the table, Suzy, perhaps someone could put some music on?’

‘That’s the ticket.’ Maddy’s dad got unsteadily to his feet. ‘A nice bit of soothing music to help the food down. Have you got any James Last?’

They seemed to have settled for Nirvana as Maddy and Suzy refused all other offers of help and carried the dishes into the kitchen.

‘You should have said Pete the Perv had been here.’ Suzy clattered the pudding spoons into the sink. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘Because it wasn’t important.’ Maddy wiped cream from her fingers.

‘Sorry I said that about Scrubbers.’ Suzy gnawed her ebony fingernails. ‘I just didn’t want him to hurt you again.’

‘He won’t – and I’ll forgive you this time.’ Maddy smiled. It didn’t matter now. ‘After all, you’re a star today, aren’t you?’

‘This has been the best day of my whole life.’ Suzy’s eyes were crossed in rapture. The polo-necked jumper and micro-skirt had ridden up and Maddy was glad to notice that she was at least wearing knickers. ‘I’ve never been so happy.’