Julian seemed oblivious to the pillorying. He chatted away – about the weather, the wellness spa plans they had for the hotel. He tried to engage Kit in conversation about the training camp in Switzerland the following week but Kit shut down all possible threads on the matter, saying he’d never been there before so couldn’t comment.

‘Tell me some more about you,’ Julian said, turning at last to Clover again.

‘Me?’ Oh god, no.

‘Yes. Did you always want to become a filmmaker?’

‘No. I spent most of my childhood convinced I’d be a fire-fighter or a zoologist.’

Matty spluttered on her drink. ‘No way!’

‘Oh yes. My big brother was obsessed with nee-nors and hee-haws, so naturally I copied him and was too.’

Matty laughed.

‘You have a brother?’ Julian asked. He was a master of small talk, seemingly interested in even the most mundane details of other people’s lives.

‘Yes. Tom. He’s three years older.’

‘Are you close?’

‘Yes, but we don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like. I travel and am away from home a lot and he lives in Geneva now, with his family.’

‘Oh? What does he do there?’

‘He’s a corporate lawyer.’ She gave a careless shrug. She didn’t want to be sharing the minutiae of her family life in front of her interviewee. As far as she was concerned, the less Kit knew about her, the better.

‘How does he feel about having a famous little sister?’

‘I’m not famous,’ Clover rebuffed quickly. ‘But even if I was, he’d be distinctly underwhelmed. Tom doesn’t care about stuff like that.’

‘He doesn’t like the perks of success? But he’s in the world of big business!’ Julian teased. ‘Bonuses! Making partner!’

‘That drives most lawyers, I know. But not Tom.’

‘What then? Surely not the pursuit of justice?’ Julian gave another laugh.

Clover sat very still. When he said it like that . . .

‘Oh.’ There was another awkward silence as Julian realized his latest blunder. She could see Matty wishing it had been dinner for just the two of them now. Clover and Kit were lumpen dinner guests. ‘Well, then, that is very interesting,’ he said, rallying, never down for long.

‘Is it?’

‘Yes. Your brother concerns himself with seeking truth and just reward.’ He regarded her. ‘As do you.’

Clover swallowed. She said nothing, but she could feel her cheeks colour.

‘That is what you’re chasing in your films, isn’t it? Justice?’ he posited. ‘So perhaps you are still copying your big brother after all?’ He grinned again.

Clover gave a tight smile.

‘I wonder what made you both truth seekers?’