Elise’s face morphed from sweet to sulky as he turned back to his conversation.

‘One day you’ll be sorry,’ she muttered under her breath, giving Rosamund a sideways look.

A few moments later Elise had pulled herself back up in her seat, and was tapping on Maddie’s arm. ‘Are you American?’

Maddie turned from Thomas and Dad. ‘Yes, I grew up in Portland, Oregon.’

‘I want to go to America one day. Daddy and I were planning to go, just the two of us, before Rosamund came along.’ She looped her hair behind her ears.

‘Well, it’s a great place if you get to go. You’ll absolutely love it.’

‘Do you like playing games?’

Maddie nodded, and smiled. ‘I do, yes.’

‘What’s your favourite game?’

‘My, I don’t know. Maybe Clue, which is fun. How about you?’

‘I like Monopoly. I like it when I get all the hotels and money, and everyone else goes bankrupt.’ She paused before adding, ‘Is there an American version?’

‘Aha, yes, there’s even a New York edition, with Tiffany’s and Trump Towers for sale.’

‘Really? That’s so cool. Do they have a dog token?’

‘Sorry?’

‘On the US boards, do they have a silver dog counter?’

‘Ah, I see. Yes, sometimes. It depends which version. There are so many these days. I saw a Pokémon version once.’

Elise leaned to one side, and looked past Maddie at Finn, who had just returned to the conservatory, and was standing silently at the counter.

‘I’m guessing you like dogs, then,’ Maddie went on, seeming to enjoy their conversation. She took a gulp of her wine. ‘I like Golden Labradors – what about you?’

‘I want a rescue dog. One that’s grateful I saved it and never lets me down.’ She moved her eyes back to Maddie. ‘So shall we play Monopoly?’

‘It’s a bit late,’ Maddie said, looking at her watch. ‘Maybe another time.’ She glanced at Thomas, who grinned.

‘When we do, I want to be the dog.’

‘And I’ll be the top hat,’ she said. ‘It’s a deal.’

‘Hey,’ Elise said her eyes bright, as she glanced round the table. ‘Let’s play Truth or Lie.’

‘OK. But only if it’s a quick game,’ Maddie said. ‘You’ll have to explain the rules.’

‘It’s easy. We all take it in turns to say something about ourselves, or something that happened to us, and everyone else has to guess if it’s true or a lie.’ She clapped her hands, and everyone stopped talking and looked her way. ‘We’re going to play Truth or Lie,’ she said.

‘I’m not sure that’s a good idea,’ Rosamund said.

‘Well that’s typical.’ Elise rolled her eyes. ‘You spoil everything.’

‘Oh come on, Rosamund, it could be fun,’ Jackson said. ‘Are you up for it, Caroline?’