In the end, Lauren had sent for another bottle of champagne. She couldn’t face going out sightseeing or finding a hot man to shag as Zak had suggested. The butler might have been an outside possibility, if he hadn’t been a slender boy of about twenty-six. But, as she’d said to Zak, finding a replacement man was the last thing on her mind.

She’d poured herself another glass or two, had languished in a long, hot bath, sobbing intermittently about the unfairness of falling in love with someone who belonged to someone else, and had let herself get all wrinkly. Then she’d tortured herself by putting on her sexy black underwear and the high heels especially brought for the purposes of seduction.

Lauren stood in front of the mirror and posed provocatively. Who wouldn’t want to have sex with that? Did Jude realise what he was missing doing whatever he was, wherever he was with his wife? Georgia probably wore big, comfy pants and tights. She stared at her reflection. Look at her. She was hot. Hot and alone. As the tears flowed again, she wrapped herself in the fluffy bathrobe provided, laid on the bed and wished for sleep – even though it was only four o’clock.

Lauren hadn’t yet returned Jude’s text. What could she say? That it was okay? That she didn’t mind? She wasn’t inclined to send a forgiving note. Instead, she hugged the phone to her chest and sobbed a bit more.

The next thing she knew, there was a soft rap at her door and Lauren woke with a start, not even realising that she’d dozed off. It would probably be the butler wanting to see if she needed her drink replenished. She’d long since given up hoping that Jude would still turn up unexpectedly.

Pulling her dressing-gown around her, Lauren went to the door. When she opened it, she smiled.

‘I came to entertain you,’ Zak said. He was holding out the board game Scrabble.

‘Where on earth did you get that?’

‘I’m a wicked master of the manipulated word,’ her friend said. ‘This has been gathering dust in my cupboard for too long.’ He tapped the game’s box. ‘You’re going to have to think of some tricky words to get them past me.’

‘What are you doing here?’

‘I was worried,’ Zak said, leaning on the doorframe and fixing his puppy-dog eyes on her. ‘I couldn’t stand the thought of you being here alone.’

‘You drove all the way down?’

He nodded. ‘As soon as you hung up.’ Then, lowering his voice, he said, ‘Jude didn’t turn up, did he? I’m not interrupting anything?’

Lauren held open the door to the suite. ‘Nobody home but me.’

Zak came into the room and glanced around appraisingly. ‘Very flash.’

‘And too big for one.’