‘No, there’s still another couple of people who aren’t here. Come in.’ She closed the big oak door and ushered Laura into a large hallway with a sweeping staircase. Laura tried not to feel too intimidated. It was all so grand.

‘I’ve heard such a lot about you from Eleanora,’ the woman went on. ‘Isn’t she terrifying?’

‘Well . . .’

‘Heart of gold, of course, but tough as old boots in some ways. She thinks very highly of you and she’s very perceptive.’

‘Oh no, now I’ll have to live up to her expectations!’

The woman chuckled. ‘I’m sure that won’t be a problem. Do you want the loo or anything or shall I take you straight upstairs where the meeting is being held? I’m Fenella, by the way. It was my mad idea to have a festival here.’ She glanced round to check that Laura was following her up the staircase. ‘The trouble with having such a massive house is that it’s very expensive. It has to earn its keep and if we need to do more renovations – and we always do – we have to do something big. We mostly do weddings. Here we are.’

She opened the door to a room with floor-to-ceiling windows and, Laura guessed, fantastic views. There was a huge table in the middle with chairs all round. Most of the chairs were occupied; voices bounced off the parquet floor as people chatted animatedly. Laura licked lips that had suddenly gone dry, certain she would never be able to open her mouth in such circumstances.

Just as Fenella was about the introduce her, the doorbell jangled and she gave Laura a worried look. ‘Do you mind if I answer that? Sorry to abandon you.’

‘No, not at all, I’ll be fine,’ said Laura, feeling anything but fine.

One young woman, who seemed somehow familiar, had looked up as Laura entered and raised her eyebrows in greeting, waving her fingers. ‘Another girly,’ she called across the table. ‘What a relief!’

Laura hadn’t ever thought of herself as a ‘girly’ before and found she rather liked this new status. She waved back.

‘Find an empty chair,’ said Fenella. ‘Here, between Rupes and Johnny. They’ll look after you. Rupert is my husband. Johnny is a friend. Now I must answer the door.’ She hurried off, adding to the sense of bustle and busyness that filled the room.