Will swings the car into a driveway next to a large sign bearing the name of the hotel where Mike and Sarah are getting married and, even though the ground is now covered by a thin coat of snow, we can still hear the expensive crunch of gravel beneath the tyres as we head for the car park. There’s nothing budget about this venue. The weather is bitterly cold, but the reception area is beautifully warm, no doubt in part due to the large log fire burning in the grate. As promised, a huge, tastefully decorated Christmas tree dominates the room.

‘This is lovely,’ I whisper to Will as we wait for Lena to finish checking in. Unsurprisingly, she’s trying to haggle a free room upgrade. She really is shameless and, although I admire her directness and no-nonsense attitude to life, I do worry that she’s going to ruffle feathers tomorrow, particularly if she follows through on her threat to seduce one or more of the other guests. ‘Do you think they have bromide here?’ I ask him, causing him to smile.

‘Does it work on women?’

‘I have no idea, but it’s got to be worth a try.’

‘I think it would take something considerably stronger to stop her, don’t you? Chloroform, maybe?’

‘We don’t use that any more, but I like your thinking. Some sort of anaesthetic to knock her out until everyone else is safely tucked up in bed.’

‘I’m done,’ Lena announces with irritation, thankfully oblivious to our conversation. ‘I’ve explained to this man that I’m a front-line healthcare professional, I need comfort and he needs to work on his customer service, but he’s not listening and refuses to find me a superior room. Some cock and bull story about being fully booked, as if I’m expected to buy that.’

‘They are hosting a wedding, Lena,’ I tell her.

‘Yes, but all hotels hold back a certain number of rooms for privileged guests. It’s well known.’

‘I’m not sure that’s true,’ Will says. ‘It’s hard for hotels to make money even at full occupancy, so keeping rooms empty would be counter-intuitive.’

‘Hmph. Another reason to spend as little time in this godforsaken country as possible. I’m going to freshen up after that journey, so I’ll see you two at dinner.’

‘She needs to freshen up?’ I ask incredulously as we approach the harassed-looking receptionist. ‘I was the one crammed into the back of the car with her sodding backpack digging into my hip the whole way here.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Will says. ‘I should have stood up to her more.’

‘It’s not your fault. She’s a force of nature. At least she’s not coming home with us.’

His face brightens. ‘Isn’t she?’