‘It’s four minutes to midnight,’ Mia said. ‘Let’s just vote so we can get it over with before the gongs. I don’t think you need to worry which way the result will go.’

‘Fine.’ Jed stuck his hands on his hips. ‘Who votes that Henry is a member of the Armstrong family and therefore acceptable as an entry?’

‘No, we need to do it in two stages,’ Mum said, with a glint in her eye that only increased my mortification. ‘Firstly, can we allow future Armstrongs to be included, if we are in a majority agreement that the person will one day be a family member. Secondly, do we believe that this is true for Henry?’

‘Two minutes to go!’ Elana said.

‘I vote that this family is not normal,’ Mia muttered.

‘Right hand up for the first, left for the second,’ Mum barked.

I couldn’t bear to look, but at the same time couldn’t stand not to. Only Dad, Daisy and Frankie had their right hands up. Every single person in my eyeline had their left one pointing straight in the air. And the only person not in my eyeline was Henry.

‘Bea, Henry, are you abstaining or voting no to both?’ Mum asked, the words dripping with consternation.

‘No to both,’ Henry said.

At the exact same moment I blurted, ‘Abstaining!’

‘Happy New Year!’ Elana shouted, jumping up off the floor as the grandfather clock began to chime, quickly joined by her brother, sister and then the rest of the family.

Everybody except me. Face burning, blood roaring in my ears, practically drowning in my own humiliation, I clambered up off the sofa and fled.

35

‘Bea.’

The voice startled me. I’d headed straight for the garden, hoping the icy air would help clear my head. Now, huddled on a bench beneath a fir tree, I was starting to wish I’d had the presence of mind to grab my coat as I raced out.

I twisted around to see the shadowy figure of Henry coming to a stop a few feet away.

‘Are you okay?’

I attempted a watery smile. ‘Oh, you know. Every time I decide my family aren’t that bad, I’ve been unfair and I need to chill out, they do something like this.’

He came over and sat down next to me. ‘Our families have been making insensitive references to us getting married our whole lives. It’s never got to you like this before.’

‘Maybe that’s because things are different now.’

Maybe that’s because you voted ‘no’ to it ever happening, when suddenly it’s the only thing that I want.

‘You mean Adam?’ He sighed. ‘If you told them about being engaged, they’d probably stop.’