‘Are you always this severe on the best man?’

‘Only when required.’

‘Betty seemed to like me.’

‘Then when we’re done, I’ll send you round to Betty’s. Until then you need to behave.’

Moving past him, I double checked the table, making sure I had all I needed. Lorcan glanced down at my coloured sticky notes, pens, neatly lined-up pads (one for each person), and my main planner all organised on the table. His blue gaze then drifted to the fridge, where another colour-coded calendar was stuck with my schedule for the week. ‘You really like to be organised, don’t you?’

‘It allows me to make the most efficient use of my time. I like to plan and know exactly what’s happening and what’s coming.’

‘It doesn’t matter how much you plan, you don’t know what life has in store.’

‘Which is exactly the reason it’s good to plan as much as possible so that you have as few surprises as possible.’

‘Hate to say this, Maddie, but it doesn’t work like that.’

I was the last person who needed telling that, but I wasn’t about to go there now.

Lorcan’s intense gaze was studying me and I felt as if he could see into where I kept all my secrets.

‘Why do I get the feeling you know all that anyway?’

‘How ridiculous!’ I said, with a laugh that would get me thrown out of RADA.

Lorcan shrugged but all this did was make the tee shirt ride up and expose more stomach. ‘And put that away,’ I said, making a rough gesture around my own midriff as the bell outside clanged loudly, which hopefully signalled that this was, at last, my missing clients. Lorcan’s low, deep chuckle followed me all the way to the door.

‘Hi-i-i-i-i!’ Peyton flashed a wide, very white, very straight-toothed smile at me as I hurried her and her fiancé in out of the weather and explained the situation about the office. ‘Oh, that’s fine. Oh, my gosh, your house is just so cute! It’s like something out of an Agatha Christie movie. Who’s that one I love, sweetie? The old lady?’

‘Miss Marple,’ Patrick said, shaking my hand.

‘That’s it. Miss Marple. Not that you’re like an old lady, obviously.’ Peyton looked momentarily flustered.

‘I know what you mean and thank you. I like it.’ Apart from the leaking roof and the swimming pool where my garden used to be. ‘Do go through. Your best man is already here.’ Peyton squeezed Patrick’s hand, the wide smile still on her face as they walked through, and I followed.

‘What did I say about that dog?’ Patrick’s face darkened as he finally saw Bod, now snoring quietly by Lorcan’s chair.