He could not. He wouldn’t even turn his head; he stared dead ahead, looking like he wanted to jump into their melee and start another fist fight.

‘Ma’am?’

Clover looked up. The man in the suit was holding out his arm, indicating for her to take her place beside Kit. She shook her head firmly.

He indicated again. ‘No.’

She saw Kit’s eyes graze in her direction, but he didn’t move.

‘Clover!’ She looked up and saw Julian – and Matty – standing up by the doors into the casino. Julian had his hands pressed together in a prayer position.

Clover was amazed. Was he really so openly desperate? Had he no pride?

She looked at Matty, who was standing beside him in a tiered black lace dress and looking radiant. ‘Please,’ Matty mimed, before turning her mouth into an upside-down smile and tracing a pretend tear wiggling down her cheek. Her friend certainly had none.

Clover looked at Julian again. He was still pleading with her, his hands in prayer, and she remembered what Tom had told her about his family’s business worries.

‘Ugh,’ she groaned, allowing the man to shuttle her in front of the camera too, positioning her by Kit’s side.

She heard her name mentioned by one of the photographers – then Cory’s too – as the three-way connection between her and Kit was suddenly, finally, realized. Once more, the light cloud crackled and popped as everyone clamoured to get a photo of Kit Foley standing beside his nemesis.

‘Oh my god,’ she breathed, not moving her mouth. ‘This is horrific.’

In response, as though they were still on the mountain, she felt Kit’s fingertips at her waist, lightly at first but then becoming bolder. She felt his warmth through the thin fabric of her dress – she had no suitable coat, of course. The light pops doubled in frequency.

She froze. Was he trying to make her feel better? She glanced up at him in bewilderment, only to find him already looking straight back at her. The photographers went into a further frenzy as his eyes locked with hers like they were newlyweds on the church steps, like they had on the rock, in the pool . . . No. She realized what he was doing. She knew he would kiss her right here, in front of them all, if it would give the press a controversial image. The two of them – more than friends? When just being friends was a big enough story? It was another game, a perfect way to undermine her.

She pulled back.

‘That’s your lot,’ he said brusquely to the photographers, removing his hand from her waist. He turned to go in.

Clover walked up the ramp and into the warmth. She gave a huge shiver, rubbing her bare arms and feeling the goose-bumps as Matty rushed over.