So by eight o’clock I was back in my flat, smartly dressed and ready to respond immediately to any job offers. I sat at the table in my living room, looking through the agencies farther afield, given I seemed to be barred from the local ones. I knew from experience that as jobs came in, they’d update their websites, and I was going to be ready for them. I’d spent Sunday honing my résumé. I still hadn’t heard from the other jobs but knew I had to give them time. It was a numbers game. The more applications I made, the more likely it was I’d get something.

Oliver rang at nine o’clock.

“Ruby, I’ve been thinking. There might be some jobs at my place,” he said. “Shall I put your name forward?”

“That would be great,” I said. “Anything will do at the moment. I’m just looking for something to tide me over until the house is sold.”

“Great!” He gave me his e-mail address. “Send over your résumé and I’ll be in touch.”

I sent Sarah a text:

Did you give Harry the letter?

She replied after ten minutes, saying:

I’ve only just got in! I’ll put it in his drawer in a minute.

I felt a rage then that he was there in the office as though nothing had happened. He’d just replaced me with Sarah and carried on with his life. It was so hard not to phone him and tell him what I thought of him.

Just then an e-mail came through from a new agency in Liverpool in response to my inquiry, asking whether I could come in to see them. An hour later I walked through their door and was seated at Lesley’s desk. She told me that most of the jobs they had were permanent, but I hoped that if I impressed her she’d be able to find me work. As long as she hadn’t heard about my reputation, that is.

“So what have you been doing recently?” she asked. “I can see here you worked for Sheridan’s in Chester. They’re a great employer, aren’t they? Did you enjoy it there?”

Interesting question. I felt like telling her just how much I’d enjoyed it but I managed to stay calm and said, “Yes, I was working as PA to Harry Sheridan, the MD.”

“And that was a permanent job?”

The only thing I could do was to lie. “It was a long-term temp job. His PA had health problems and needed to be at home for a while.”

“For eighteen months?”