He makes a noise which sounds a bit like a bark, which I think is actually what passes for a laugh with him. Not for the first time this week I wish Olivia was here; she’s so much better at dealing with people like Cameron than I am. And so much more consistent than Ria, for that matter.

‘Fuck no,’ he says. ‘I’ve only made an appearance this week because you’re the head honcho at Redbush and Simon’s wedged. I’m out of here after tonight. I only come up from the valley for skiing or biking usually, or if someone needs a massive bollocking. And speaking of bollocking, I’m still wondering what to do about Millie’s display last night. On the whole, she’s exactly the kind of girl I like on staff – not fussed about skiing or going out and getting drunk as far as I can tell – but such clumsiness at dinner in front of guests is unforgivable.’

‘It was a simple mistake,’ I say. ‘Could have happened to anyone. Please don’t sack her. She’s been amazing all week.’ It’s not my place to say that to Cameron but I get the impression he needs me at least as much as I need him. I hope I’m conveying ‘I don’t want to do business with you if you’re the type who would sack a young girl over something like that’, but I’m not sure it’s coming across. Poor Millie. I don’t want her to lose her job over some broken glass.

‘Hmmm,’ he says. ‘You’re a better man than me. And I guess it would be tricky to replace her at short notice at this point in the season anyway – busy period coming up. I’ll think about it.’ There is a pause. ‘Anyway, going back to your question, I’m just here for the mountains. I have as little contact with the punters as possible – I leave that to the experts like Millie and Matt. I’m not a great fan of the general public as you may be able to tell.’

I’m not sure if this is meant to be a joke or not so I smile blandly. I don’t want Redbush clients coming into contact with someone like Cameron day to day, but I do think the chalets would be a good addition to our stable.

‘Well, they’re certainly beautiful properties and I’ve been very impressed by the level of your service and everything else this week,’ I say, adding ‘apart from you personally’ silently to myself. ‘Perhaps you could send through details of your pricing structure for the various chalets and we’ll have a look at including you in our luxe range, if we can agree suitable commission and the like. My assistant usually deals with that side of things – I’m not very good with figures.’