Flora appeared from the back, recognising Lily with a quick smile but hurrying in Tina’s rolling wake to be shown how to clear a table – not difficult: sanitise, tidy the condiments then reset it with cutlery rolled in black napkins from the dumbwaiter and wine glasses from behind the bar.

Lots of locals were in tonight, a crowd of men frequently referred to as ‘the blokey blokes’ grouped around the dartboard, pints in one hand while they threw darts with the other, barracking each other and dissolving into gales of laughter. Vita and Isaac were kept busy behind the bar as Tina showed Flora the ropes.

Lily and Zinnia fell to chatting to those around them and, apart from feeling ludicrously overdressed, Lily thought she wouldn’t be too unhappy if Zinnia forgot all about going on to the Ballarat. The Christmas lights reflected and refracted from every polished surface and they were surrounded by smiling faces.

A woman, entering via the front door, paused to take in the friendly, crowded, noisy scene. Lily froze, her glass of wine almost to her lips. It was Hayley, elegance personified in a narrow black dress with a stand-up collar beneath her open coat, which Lily felt pretty sure she recognised as Karen Millen, though she never shopped there herself unless in a seventy-per-cent-off sale. Her own shimmering sequins felt as garish as a Christmas tree. She watched Hayley thread her way to the bar.

‘Hello, Isaac.’ Hayley raised her voice over the hubbub.

Isaac’s head lifted, though his hands continued to splash tonic into a tumbler containing ice, lime and gin before grabbing a fresh glass and pulling a bottle of chardonnay from the ice bucket behind him. ‘Hello,’ he replied neutrally, then, to the customer he placed the two drinks before: ‘That’ll be £8.90, please.’ He took a tenner and turned to the till.

Tina smiled at Hayley. ‘Can I help you?’

Hayley smiled back but said, ‘I’ll wait for Isaac.’

Tina nodded and moved on to serve someone else.

When he turned away from giving his customer change, Isaac’s face was impassive as he moved towards Hayley. ‘What can I get you?’

‘If we could have a word—’ she began.

Isaac leaned over the bar so that his head was close to hers but, as she was leaning on the bar herself, Lily was near enough to hear. ‘I can serve you with a drink but I’m too busy to chat.’

Hayley’s smile didn’t waver. ‘I understand. I’ll have Fever-Tree tonic with ice and lime and wait until you have a moment.’

Isaac nodded but Lily could see from the look in his dark eyes that he wasn’t happy. He served Hayley briskly and took her money, handing her her change and moving on to someone else.