‘It does potentially solve one of my problems, though. If I’m right about her messing with my calendar and emails, then if she gets this job I can start turning up for meetings again.’

‘So, what’s the plan, boss? Should I fire up the engine?’

I shook my head. ‘Lincoln might have pipped the worst of the storm, but it’s going to be horrendous overnight. First thing in the morning we’ll be chasing its tail, with far less chance of getting blown off a bridge.’

‘Although a decent chance that the snow will have made some of the roads impassable?’

‘Better to deal with that in the daytime, though.’

He folded his arms. ‘Sure you can stand another night in the same room as Sir Henry of Nerdville?’

I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help a smile. ‘As long as you don’t blab to anyone.’ I shuddered. ‘Especially not my family.’

I didn’t mention that by now there would be plenty of spare rooms, thanks to four of the candidates’ early departures. I also didn’t think too hard about why I kept quiet about it. It certainly had nothing to do with Henry’s earlier story about how he’d been infatuated with me.

Ducking out of the last task did mean that we had an evening to fill. I didn’t fancy venturing downstairs and risking bumping into Baxter, but Henry was happy to go on a scouting mission, returning with a chess set in a fancy wooden box, on top of which were balanced two mugs of tea and a packet of chocolate digestives.

‘Melody intercepted me in the hallway. The security camera must have spotted me stealing the game.’

‘Perfect.’

I wasn’t a terrible chess player, but twenty minutes in I was ready to throw the board out of the window.

‘You do remember that we said we’d head home first thing?’

Henry glanced up, brow still furrowed in concentration. ‘Hmmm?’

We’d set the game up on the bedside table in between the two beds. I leant back against my headboard, groaning in frustration. ‘If you carry on taking this long we won’t be finished by then.’

‘Chess is a strategic game. That’s how you win, by strategizing.’

‘No, that’s how you make it completely boring. In which case, nobody wins.’

‘I’m not bored.’ His hand hovered over a pawn for a few seconds before moving away again.

‘Because I don’t make you sit there for five minutes when it’s my turn!’

‘I’m not stopping you. You can take as long as you like.’

He finally picked up the pawn and moved it a space forwards. ‘There, your move.’

It was at least two minutes before he realised.

‘You’re just sat there waiting for me to get bored, aren’t you?’

‘How do you know I’m not strategizing?’