She chuckled softly. ‘I’m glad to hear it. And I think you convinced Monica about the condoms. I’m so sorry she harassed you like that. She was only looking after me, but it must have been desperately embarrassing.’

‘Not at all,’ he said softly. Laura could hear the smile in his voice. ‘I’ve been asked worse things, I can tell you.’

‘Really? You didn’t look embarrassed, I must say.’

‘So you could see, could you? From your spot at the back there.’

‘Yes. It was quite a small hall.’ So her trying to hide at the back again hadn’t worked.

‘And I filled it. You don’t need to say anything else about me being a big fish in a small pond.’

‘I wouldn’t dream of it! I’ve no doubt you could fill the Albert Hall if you’d agree to go.’

‘I don’t know about that,’ he said dismissively, and then went on, ‘And another thing. I promise you that if we had made love you would have known about it, drunk or not.’ He paused. ‘Were you really that far gone? You didn’t seem it.’

She sighed. Being drunk seemed a better excuse for her behaviour than being in love – thrall – lust – she still couldn’t decide quite how to define her feelings for him. That would be really outrageous. ‘I’m not used to drinking whiskey by the tumbler full.’

‘No, I suppose not.’

‘And the fact that I’m a virgin is not something I usually tell people.’

‘Well, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.’

‘No, but at my age it’s a bit – well, odd, really.’

‘Is there a reason for it?’

‘Nope. Only I never found a man I fancied enough.’ She blushed, praying his eyes were still shut and he wouldn’t see. She’d virtually told him that in him she had found a man she fancied enough.

‘Well, I have a confession to make too.’

‘What?’

‘I’ve had writer’s block for nearly fifteen years.’

‘Oh my goodness.’ Laura didn’t know what else to say. It was quite a revelation.

‘And the reason I’m telling you is there’s something about confession being sort of mutual. Not that I expect Catholic priests hearing the peccadilloes of their parishioners necessarily say, “Don’t go worrying about that now, I often have a wee peep at that sort of magazine myself,” but you shared something with me, and there’s been no one else I can tell.’

She felt incredibly privileged, although she also thought that maybe people would have guessed.

‘Well, you can understand it.’ He seemed eager to justify himself. ‘Two books straight off the blocks on to the bestseller lists and the literary prize shortlists.’

‘And you won most of the prizes.’

‘I did.’ He sounded embarrassed. ‘They’re all waiting for me to fail now.’