She swallowed, taken aback by the question. ‘Well, perhaps it wasn’t love,’ she whispered.

‘Yeah.’ His gaze roamed over her face. ‘. . . Or perhaps this isn’t hate.’

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The wheels of the small jet touched down at St Moritz. Clover looked out through the window, feeling a sense of dread. As feared, the story had exploded in the international press. On almost every front page of note, Kit’s face – chiselled and angry, handsome in black tie – had been placed mugshot-style beside pictures of Amy with black eyes and a split lip.

Kit was sitting in the seats in front, with Ari. Ari was briefing him on what to say and do – and more specifically, not do – when they arrived at Samedan, the private airport just outside St Moritz. Julian’s generosity in chartering a private plane for this trip was a final act of kindness, if not mercy, before the relationship was formally severed; it meant they wouldn’t have to travel in public (a blessing for Julian as much as Kit; the indelible link between their two names was toxic). No one thought it would be a good idea for Kit to be faced with people taking pictures of him in the airport. Not so soon after the exposé.

She, Johnny and Matty were keeping their heads low, trying to minimize their impact on a highly flammable situation that arguably they had helped create. None of them were talking much but Clover wasn’t sure it could all be put down to the general muted mood surrounding Kit. Johnny was still angry with her for her comments last night, but Matty had been oddly quiet all day too; Clover didn’t think she was finding it quite as easy as she’d thought to walk away from her sophisticated lover. Last night’s scandal wouldn’t have given them the romantic goodbye she had been hoping for.

Clover looked over surreptitiously at Kit again; he was sitting diagonally across from her in the row ahead. She could just make out his profile. He kept sitting back, pressing his head against the headrest and, his eyes closed, sighing heavily. He seemed exhausted – and not just because of their night together. She had been careful to get back to her room before Carlotta and Fin were up at six. No one knew about them and, this time, no one would.