‘Well, what excitements I missed! I can see I’ll have to give the Rob Roy bar a try some time,’ he said, laughing at her, ‘but I’m not going with the whole gang and certainly not with Stanley Heslington. I’ll take you and Louisa out for a drink one evening if you’ll come with me. How grim for poor Win, though I suppose she must be used to it by now.’

‘No kidding. But I think he may have pushed her too far this time.’

Marnie’s awkward constraint of the first day seemed to have vanished. She and Christopher had finished eating and were still chatting away over their coffee when the other members of the group arrived. Louisa came over to their table.

‘Hi there,’ she said, smiling at them both in her easy friendly way. ‘You’re a couple of early birds. Hope you’ve left some breakfast for the rest of us! I meant to be in such good time this morning too, but I overslept. This writing business must be more exhausting than I thought.’

‘Can I get you something?’ asked Christopher, getting to his feet. ‘There’s a marvellous selection to choose from.’

‘Oh yes please, I’d love a cup of coffee. I can’t face the day without my caffeine fix – but then I’ll go and forage for myself.’ Louisa sat down next to Marnie. ‘I think you’ve stolen a march on me,’ she said laughingly, nodding towards Christopher’s back as he went over to the breakfast bar. ‘You two looked as if you were getting on very well together.’

It wasn’t said with any sort of barb, but, conscious that Louisa was attracted to Christopher and had met him before, Marnie immediately felt uncomfortable. She longed to say something light and airy – a soufflé of a joke – and tease Louisa in return. I’m no good at this sort of banter. I don’t know the rules of the game, she reflected miserably, feeling her awkwardness creeping back. The thought of making a conversational threesome and either sitting gauchely silent while Louisa sparkled away to Christopher and discussed mutual friends, or finding herself saying something alienating or inappropriate as she sometimes did when ill at ease, filled her with dismay, though she despised herself for being feeble.

‘I’ve finished my breakfast so I’ll leave you to have yours in peace,’ she said abruptly, liking Louisa, but feeling inadequate in her sunshiny presence. She got up and collected her used cup and plate to put on the trolley, as they’d all been asked to do, and walked out of the dining room with only a cursory greeting to the others and a nod of acknowledgement to Christopher as she passed him.

Louisa raised a quizzical eyebrow. ‘Sociable type, Marnie,’ she remarked as Christopher handed her a cup of coffee.