‘You’ll have heard about Dermot? The paparazzi were on to him. For two days they were there. He hid in his house and wouldn’t come out.’

‘Poor man. He must have hated it.’

The woman, who Laura remembered was called Marion, clicked her teeth and shook her head. ‘Not sure about that. He’s stayed indoors ever since.’

‘What do you mean?’ Marion was obviously dying to tell Laura all about it, so she thought she might as well glean what information she could.

‘Well, he doesn’t go to the pub. He’s not seen at the shop, so God knows what he’s living on. No one’s seen hide nor hair of him for over a week.’

‘Oh.’ Laura considered. Would it be best to confide in her? It might make her mission easier, and, she had to be honest, it was unlikely she could do anything without the whole place knowing exactly what she was up to. ‘Could I confide in you?’

Marion said, ‘Come in to the kitchen. I’ll make a pot of tea, and you can tell all. I knew you were here for a reason the moment you made the booking.’

‘The thing is,’ said Laura, drinking tea so strong she could feel it attacking the enamel on her teeth, ‘I’ve been sent by his agent to check if he’s all right.’

‘He’s not all right. If he was all right he’d be behaving like a normal person, going to the pub, taking his car out, doing his messages.’

‘Well, I’m to check on him and report back.’ She didn’t add that she was supposed to show him the error of his ways, convince him that no one who loved him had betrayed his secret, and that he should definitely come and do the festival.

Marion regarded her seriously, and then handed her a plate of biscuits. She’d already eaten the sandwiches Marion had prepared, but eating seemed to calm her nerves and she took a pink wafer although she didn’t usually like them. ‘I don’t think you should do that.’

‘Do what?’ The wafer was very sweet and slightly offset the strength of the tea.

‘Go and check on him. No nice young woman should go near Dermot when he’s like this.’

‘Like what?’

‘Well! We don’t know! But what we do know’ – Marion lowered her voice although they were alone – ‘is that he has a case of whiskey in there with him.’

Laura lowered her voice too. ‘How do you know that?’

‘Because one was delivered the day after the paparazzi arrived. It’s my belief he’s on a bender and no nice woman should go within a mile of him.’

‘I think we’re both within a mile of him right now.’ Laura smiled, she hoped reassuringly. ‘I’m sure I’ll be all right. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.’