A high-pitched voice, most likely male, certainly not my mother, responds, ‘Oooh.’ Then in a deeper voice, ‘I’ve had Daddy before, but Mummy? That’s a newy.’

‘Who is this?’ I gasp, sitting bolt upright and pulling the covers right up over my naked bottom-half. My black cotton knickers on the dresser aren’t quite the lacy underwear Faith so brazenly discussed when pitching me as a food porn presenter. But still. It’s quite the scene. What if this voice belongs to some kind of pervert, on the loose in Maida Vale? I hope Jordan locked the door behind him when he left this morning. He doesn’t always.

‘Sorry. I forget. We haven’t yet met. But what an opening you gave me.’

‘Who is this, please?’ I repeat, burrowing deeper underneath the duvet – a better use of energy would be for me to get up and lock my bedroom door.

‘Gracie Porter, this is Harrison Hipgrave, Agent to the Stars. Call me Harry, if you prefer?’

I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s only Timothy’s professional agent. By his opening, I picture Harry wearing a burgundy cravat and black velvet smoking jacket. Having greasy hair and girly hands, to match his high-pitched squeal.

‘Gracie, you still there?’ To be fair, his voice is now respectably normal. Quite gravelly, in fact.

‘What can I do for you, Harry?’ I say, my voice, shockingly, sounding equally manly-like. I’m never smoking again.

‘Ah! Well, really, this is about what I can do for you, sweetheart,’ is Harrison Hipgrave’s smooth-as-smooth reply.

‘Enough with the sweetheart, Harry.’ With my husky throat, this sounds inadvertently sexy. ‘As you say, we haven’t yet met.’ Good Lord. Am I still drunk?

Harry chuckles.

‘Timmy sent me your new contract. Gracie, we need to meet.’

I’m too unwell to deal with this right now. I tell Harry I already have an agent, hoping Faith will deal with him later.

Harry insists, ‘And that you do!’

‘No, Harry, not you. I mean—’

‘You mean Faith Williams?’

‘Um. Yes.’

‘We’ve spoken.’

‘You’ve spoken with Faith?’

‘I have contracts for you both. Apparently, you two made rather an impression at the station yesterday...’

After the mix-up during the meeting, it’s hardly surprising Faith is confirmed as part of whatever this new show might be.

Also, whatever Timothy told Harry about our ‘performance’ yesterday might go a long way to explaining Harry’s initial gambit on this call.

If Faith has already heard from Harry, why hasn’t she called me to say?

‘Is there a problem, Gracie? Timmy said you were expecting to hear from me. I hope it’s in order I’ve called?’