Clover felt Matty grip her arm and rest her head on her shoulder. He was heading now for the press tent. In a few moments, he would find out why he was loved again. Why he had glory as well as gold. He would find out what she’d done, telling the world that his fiancée had slept with another man.

And he would hate her for it. He would never forgive her. She had told his secret to the world.

‘Come on. It’s time,’ Matty said, jerking her head with a sympathetic smile.

Clover looked away from the TV screen. The boarding gate was now empty, ‘Final Call’ flashing in red letters above the desk. Heart pounding, with tears in her eyes, she picked up her bag and they walked over to the air steward.

‘Good evening, welcome to Swiss Air,’ he said, checking their passports and boarding passes before handing them back to them with a smile. ‘We hope you have a pleasant flight.’

Epilogue

Two weeks later
Somerset House, London

‘Now just hold on to me,’ Johnny said, as they stood by the edge of the rink. It kept flashing turquoise and ultra-violet, Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ playing seemingly on repeat. A ten-metre Christmas tree stood at the far end, the Palladian courtyard buildings picked out in golden lights. It was all formidably brighter and resolutely jollier than her darkened flat, with the curtains drawn, which was where she’d wanted to stay again tonight.

Her friends had had other ideas, though. They’d had this idea. And it wasn’t a good one.

‘Promise you won’t let me go,’ Clover said, her voice rising with nerves as she struggled to balance on the blades. She was clinging to the edges of the rink, feeling intimidated by the speed and ease with which everyone was whizzing past. Since when had all of London learned how to ice-skate? This wasn’t Amsterdam!

‘I promise,’ Johnny grinned, looking thoroughly bemused as though it were her childish fears that were ridiculous and not his elf jumper.

‘I swear, if you let go even for a second, I’ll fall and break a leg.’

‘Then I won’t let you go for even a second,’ he said calmly. ‘Now hold my hands. I’ll lead. All you have to do is glide. Get used to the feeling, okay? It’s not so different to skiing.’

‘Mats, you’ll be behind me, won’t you?’

‘I promise, I’ll be right here to catch you if you fall.’