Through a set of French doors, Nory could see the backs of Charles and Jeremy; they were leaning against a wall that overlooked the gardens, the smoke from Charles’s cigarette curling above his head, while the cloud from Jeremy’s vape covered them both like a rolling fog. Jeremy was on his phone.

“Charles hasn’t given up smoking, then?” Nory observed.

Jenna huffed. “He keeps pushing his end date back. Now he’s saying he’ll stop after the honeymoon. But of course that’s a cop-out too because we aren’t actually going on honeymoon until next year because of my filming commitments.”

“I can’t imagine Charles not smoking,” said Ameerah.

“Neither can he, that’s the problem.”

“Are you not going away at all after the wedding?” asked Nory.

“We’ve got a couple of days off afterward, but then it’s back to work till Christmas. Even Christmas won’t be restful since we’ve got to split ourselves between Charles’s family in Cornwall and mine in York.”

“That sounds like hell,” drawled Pippa.

“What will you be doing for Christmas, Queen Pip?” asked Ameerah.

“I’ll be with my father, in his suite at the Savoy. He’s coming up to town on the twenty-third. We have four days planned of eating and drinking to excess.”

“You won’t be going home?” asked Jenna.

“No, my mother is back from wherever she was, and it’s her turn to host Christmas. She’ll be inviting all her god-awful cronies, so Dad and I thought we’d make ourselves scarce.”

Pippa’s was an unusual family setup. Her parents had never divorced but had separated years ago, each to their own wing of the seventy-two-room house they shared in Dorset. Her mother seemed to drift from one private-island rehab to the next, and Pippa’s relationship with her siblings was often cool. Her father was another matter; she worshipped him. As the eldest child, Pippa was in line to inherit the responsibility of the familial home and her dad had been scrupulous in training her for the task.

“So, what’s the plan for the week?” Nory asked.

“I have a full itinerary,” said Jenna.

“Of course you have.” Ameerah half-smiled.

Jenna ignored her. “It’s just Guy and his wife left to arrive. We invited their children too, but Guy said they needed some time on their own. Fair enough, I suppose. Who would have ever thought Guy would be the first one of us to have kids? He’s always been so selfish.”

At the mention of Guy’s name, Nory’s stomach churned, and she felt her cheeks redden. She saw Ameerah give her a sideways look, which was instantly pounced upon by Pippa.

“Of course.” Pippa nodded knowingly. “This is the first time you’ve seen Guy since your sex marathon.”

Nory tried to think of something clever to say. Nothing came.