Paddy? ‘You mean Patrick Hiller?’ I couldn’t hold in my shock. Patrick was the quietest of Rowan’s friends. The discreet smooth-talker, he always managed to wine, dine, and take a girl home without making a show-and-tell of it, unlike some of the other lads. But he’d also never been seen twice with the same woman on his arm. ‘What do you mean, messing about?’

‘I mean shagging, Edi, Christ.’ Cora dropped back in her seat. ‘I was trying to be subtle.’

‘Fuck me, you don’t usually go to the trouble, Cor. Just say what you mean.’ Betty leaned out of the way of a waiter who was trying to deliver food to the table. She took on a sweeter tone and said, ‘Thank you,’ and she waited until he was out of earshot before she asked, ‘So are they a thing?’

‘I don’t think so? Not properly, anyway – they’re not status official or anything.’ Cora reached over and stole a blueberry from Betty’s plate. ‘Whatever they are, you didn’t hear about it from me.’

‘Out of idle curiosity,’ Lily asked, ‘who did we hear it from?’

‘Who did you hear what from?’

‘Molly!’ Cora leapt up like a small shock had run through her seat.

‘That you’re sleeping with Patrick.’

‘Faith!’

‘Oh, Cora,’ Molly groaned and sank into the empty seat at the head of the table. ‘You told them?’ The girls giggled and whooped like a modern-day Greek chorus, while Molly set her elbows on the table and cradled her forehead.

Cora opened her mouth once, twice, as though considering a lie. But then she said, ‘Yes.’ She slapped Faith’s outer arm with the back of her hand. ‘What did I say about not hearing it from me?’

‘Oh, not hearing it from you?’ Faith’s attention was pulled away by the buzz of her phone.

‘Faith, you’re not even sorry.’

‘Nope.’

‘Shouldn’t we be talking about Edi, anyway?’ Molly snapped. There were two pink blooms of embarrassment spreading across each cheek and I wanted to hug her, but I sensed it might make things worse. ‘Edi, please? Say something about the engagement? Anything.’

‘Molly, you worry too much.’ Betty reached over to squeeze her hand. ‘No one gives a hoot. It’s your right to sleep with whoever you want.’

‘Feminist right,’ Lily added.

‘God.’ Molly made another uncomfortable noise. ‘Edi, please, matrimonial bliss?’

There came a crunch of crisped bacon before Lily said, ‘She’s not married yet.’

I laughed. ‘Are you just here for angry asides today?’

Lily shook her head. ‘Not just today.’

‘Molly,’ I spoke softly in case what I was about to say would be a surprise for her. ‘We got engaged five minutes ago. What is there to say?’

‘Will it be a long engagement?’ she pushed.