‘Let’s make ourselves a drink. I could murder some coffee.’ Louisa put the kettle on. ‘Well . . . so now you’ve met all the Grant family.’ She looked speculatively at Marnie as though she were trying to assess her in a new way. ‘You were amazing with Edward,’ she said. ‘How on earth did you know what he was trying to tell us? I had no idea what he was on about. I always find him rather difficult, though I’d hate Izzy to know.’

‘Isobel told me about the way he likes to talk in riddles – but me guessing what he meant was just luck.’ She gave a little shrug. ‘Could be because I’m so bad with people myself that I identify with anyone who finds it hard to communicate.’

‘Oh, come on . . . you’re not really bad with people,’ said Louisa, handing Marnie a mug of instant coffee. ‘You’ve got into a habit of thinking no one will like you and it’s rubbish. You should trust yourself more.’

‘Safer not to. Free but lonely, like Amy’s violinist, and I’ve gotten pretty used to it by now,’ said Marnie, following Louisa over to the big sofa and sitting down beside her. ‘You’re so darn friendly to everyone – seems to come so easy to you. You expect to get along with people – and you do. I’ve noticed how everybody looks pleased when you sit next to them. You make them laugh – you make them feel special.’

‘Oh well, thank you – but everyone likes you too and one person seems to like you very much,’ said Louisa. Marnie flushed painfully, stirring her coffee with great concentration and not looking at Louisa.

‘It won’t last,’ she muttered. ‘Nothing ever does with me. I’m a disaster area – sooner or later I do something stupid and bang goes another relationship.’

‘Oh, for heaven’s sake!’ Louisa almost wanted to shake Marnie. ‘I think Christopher likes you very much indeed. Wherever you are in the room he’s aware of you.’ She laughed at Marnie’s frozen expression. ‘Come on, Marnie, be honest . . . I think you like him too.’

Marnie started to twiddle a strand of her hair and then went on hesitantly, as if even putting such thoughts into words might be tempting fate, ‘I . . . yeah, well, I suppose I do like him, but whatever you say, I don’t dare count on it – and Christopher’s been through such an awful experience he was probably going to start falling for the first woman he met anyway.’