‘Beautiful Edith Parcell.’ Betty crossed the room and kissed me on the crown of my head. She crouched in front of me, then, to bring herself level with my face. ‘It’s my unprofessional and totally lopsided opinion that you did the right thing.’

‘Seconded.’

‘Thirded.’

Faith burped. ‘I’m so sorry, but that wasn’t staying in. Fourthed.’ She looked around the group. ‘Is that what I mean?’

Lily reached over and took Faith’s glass away. ‘I’m cutting you off.’

‘Do you need someone to go over to Rowan’s at some point?’ Cora topped up my glass as she spoke. ‘To collect your things, I mean.’

‘No.’ I shook my head. ‘I don’t want for us to be that couple.’

‘That couple?’ she asked.

‘You know, the couple that can’t be in a room together.’

Faith nodded, and then narrowed her eyes. ‘How much exactly does he know about Fred?’

‘Does she know about all of the women he’s slept with?’ Lily asked and there was a shared rumble of agreement. ‘It’s none of his goddamn business who Edi has slept with, since or during their relationship. Especially given that he’s the one—’

‘Easy, snappy.’ I stopped her. ‘He is the one, but I agreed to it.’

‘Babe, you’re allowed to moan about him.’

‘I know, but …’ I shrugged and downed what was left of my drink. ‘I will. I one hundred per cent will. And I’ll tell you all about how he cheated and how I hated him and loved him and how I – I don’t know, things in betweensed him.’ I held my empty glass in the air and waited for someone to take the hint; Cora was the first to grab a bottle. ‘But, right now, I don’t want to moan, or hate each other, or point-score or – anything, really. I want us both to be as unscathed as possible. And I want to get drunk with my best friends.’ I leaned into Cora for a cuddle and she obliged, with one arm tucked around me and her free hand firmly clutching a full glass of fizz.

Faith reached over and squeezed my hand. ‘You’re allowed not to hate him.’

‘I’m sorry, back up, he cheated on you?’ Betty’s voice was a fraction higher than it had been. Lily motioned to her – a swift hand across the neck – and Betty held her hands up in defeat. ‘Not the point, okay, we’ll come to that. But whatever, the real point is, you’re allowed not to hate him, we’re allowed to hate him, yada yada.’ Then she hurried to add, ‘We don’t! But, if we wanted to, we could. I’m just saying that much.’

I snort-laughed. I didn’t know which one of them had shot her a warning look that time, but it was clear that someone had from the speed of her add-on.