Laura found herself getting to her feet at the insistence of her partner. At first she could only stand, bemused, but then some dance lessons, given by a friend of her mother’s, years ago, came back to her. She began to enjoy the feeling of flippancy and fun the music and the dancing gave her. Her partner didn’t seem to care that she was more or less making it up as she went along. She found herself whirled around, held, pushed away, brought back again, all in minutes. When she was allowed to sit down again she was exhausted. ‘Thank you so much! That was such fun.’

‘You should come more often,’ said her partner. ‘You’ve got real talent!’

‘I don’t think so. I really—’

‘—only came for the band,’ he finished for her. ‘I know. I’m Jim, by the way. I’ll look out for you next time.’ Although she eventually managed to persuade him to leave, which he did with a tip of his hat, she had enjoyed the feeling of being chosen and danced with.

‘Well, that was a turn-up for the books!’ said Grant, as they both sipped wine, wishing it was water. ‘We both pulled! And I never thought I’d see you on a dance floor, being hurled about by a strong man.’

‘Back at ya!’

‘Mine wasn’t a strong man, more’s the pity. I did tell her I was gay, but she said she knew already.’ He paused. ‘I think the band’s going to be on soon. Better get to the bar quickly.’

Laura, recognising her cue, got to her feet. ‘More of the same?’

He nodded. ‘And a pint of tap water.’

There were a few more energetic routines, which Grant and Laura sat out, mainly to give their feet a rest, and then three girls came to the front of the stage. They were wearing very full tulle skirts with tight waists and fitted bodices. They all had amazing pink beehive hairdos and the one in the middle had a huge flower behind her ear. They looked fantastic and for the first time that evening, people stopped dancing and turned towards the stage.

‘We were lucky to get a seat,’ said Grant, and then the lights went down and the singers were spotlighted.

They started with ‘The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy’ and everyone stamped their feet and clapped in time to the music. Several upbeat numbers followed and, in spite of the fear of clapping at the wrong moment that always afflicted her, Laura cast off her inhibitions and clapped and hand-jived with the best of them.