Evie misses her third and final shot, a pulse of frustration passing through her. She really wanted to prove Duke wrong. It feels strangely apt though, given that this whole thing feels similarly out of her control. And she knows it’s not just the bottles making her mad at Duke now. Even if she did let money trump her morals and agreed to the fauxmance, she feels compelled to blame someone, to have a concrete body to channel her misgivings towards, and tough luck, Duke Carlisle, you’re in the line of fire.

Filming has moved further down the Romantic Road, now, and the schedule has been arranged so that Daphne does her solo scenes today and Duke does his tomorrow. So, making the most of Duke’s rare free day, after checking in to their Rothenburg ob der Tauber hotel, they headed out to the Christmas market. It’s only 2 p.m. but the sky is heavy and grey, the blue skies of the morning giving way to clouds filled with the threat of snow. There are fairground games and food stalls, fried doughnuts and bright, glimmering lights. Duke and Evie have been tasked with simply moving through it for a few hours as if it’s a real date, with Duke’s publicist even going as far as to say that if they did a little cheeky kissing, too, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Fat chance of that, thinks Evie, that goes well against the rules of engagement. She’ll take in the sights and even talk a little, if the mood takes her, but she’s not for sale in anything close to the biblical sense. The only thing she intends to let anywhere near to her lips is juicy wurst off of the Schwenkgrill.

‘Hungry?’ she asks Duke, as she spots a place selling sausages and mulled wine.

‘I’ve not been allowed to acknowledge my hunger since 2009, but sure,’ he replies. ‘I can buy one to hold and fake-eat, as we fake-date.’

He pays for their food and, as Evie waits for hers to cool down, she asks, ‘Is that true? That you’ve been on a diet for over ten years?’

Duke nods. ‘Camera adds ten pounds,’ he tells her, patting his belly for emphasis.

‘God,’ Evie snorts. ‘Next you’ll be telling me you’ve had three nose jobs and can’t eat ice cream because your veneers are too sensitive.’

‘Oh no,’ laughs Duke. ‘My dental work is second to none. My dentist could win awards for the work he’s done on my smile.’

‘Show me,’ Evie teases, finally taking a bite of her food. ‘Give me the People Magazine smile.’