Amy sits in the Coffee Shop watching out for Cosmo. She hasn’t heard from him since yesterday afternoon and she’s excited and nervous about the party. She wonders how he will cope in this rather large group of people; whether he will feel daunted or quite cool with it. He was certainly very self-possessed with her father, and he already knows Cara. Amy hopes that Charley won’t make her feel shy about him and she is suddenly almost overwhelmed by nerves. She needs to see him come walking in, to see his smile and the confidence and vitality he always carries with him. She glances up every time the door opens but he doesn’t come and, as she sips her coffee, she feels her phone vibrate and pulls it out of her pocket.

A text from Cosmo. She opens it, reads it and then reads it again.

I’m so sorry about this. A real crisis in London. Had to dash back. I’m on the train. Be in touch xx

Amy stares at it, trying to make sense of it. A crisis – and it sounds as if he is already on the train so he must have known for a couple of hours at the very least. Why wait until now to text? Disappointment washes over her and she sits staring out into Fore Street, trying to come to terms with this sense of desolation; of being let down with a bang.

What kind of crisis could call him back so suddenly? He doesn’t mention family or work? And why such short notice? She wonders what’s happened to Reggie. Worse than all of these, she wonders how she’ll explain to everyone why Cosmo won’t be at the party. Even as she sits there, miserable, hurt, and cross, the door opens and Sam Chadwick walks in. He glances round, sees her and raises his hand in greeting. He hesitates, clearly wondering if it’s OK to join her, and with a huge effort she smiles back at him and makes a welcome gesture. As he orders his coffee, she’s rehearsing what she might say should he mention Cosmo. She remembers how well Sam got on with Charley at their last meeting, that he’s going into the navy, and hopes that she can deflect him from any awkward questions by talking about it. Nevertheless she needs to prepare what she’s going to tell everyone so it’s no good shirking it. Amy drops her shoulders, takes a breath.

‘Hi,’ she says brightly. ‘How’re you doing? Getting ready to party?’

Sam sits down, laughs at the question.

‘I certainly am. It was great fun last time. Thanks for inviting me over.’