‘I’m used to people asking questions for the sake of them, prying, wanting to know more about the surface stuff.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘Every sodding interview I ever did, they always wanted to know about my flaming love life. I only had to be pictured with someone and there’d be a whole load of speculation. And there were lots of pictures and the more well known I became…’ He shrugged. ‘Poor little rich boy, eh? Complaining about the accoutrements of wealth and celebrity. That’s why I gave it up.’

Hannah frowned, not following. ‘What do you mean?’

‘If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen, to use a well-worn but extremely apt cliché.’

‘Was it really that bad?’

‘No, it wasn’t. I had a ball. I enjoyed the attention. Enjoyed being able to do what I wanted.’ He grinned. ‘Back in the day, I became an arrogant shite for a wee while. Mam soon knocked that on the head. So then I settled down. Found a nice girl. A really nice girl. Polly Daventree. You might have heard of her.’

Hannah nodded, remembering her conversation with Izzy.

‘She’s now my ex. Ex-fiancée no less. But now she’s the new rising star, Adrienne Byrne’s natural replacement.’

There was a bitter tone to his words and she gave him a perplexed look.

‘I’m sure there’s a subtext to all this, Conor, but you’ll have to humour me. I’m completely oblivious.’

‘Oh God, do I have to? Explaining all my angst makes me look like a right eejit.’ He laughed. ‘I can’t take myself and my woes so seriously if I have to do that.’

‘That sounds like a good thing,’ said Hannah, suddenly pleased that they could have this back and forth without any awkwardness. She could be friends with him, she realised with a jolt of pleasure. Perhaps that would be enough? It had to be, he came from a different world to her.

‘Polly was an actress. When she won Celebrity Masterchef in the UK, she and her agent decided that they’d reinvent her as a cookery expert. Didn’t take her long to decide that she could become the next Adrienne Byrne – history repeating itself by marrying into the family. We got engaged but then I realised I was a means to an end… That sounds arrogant, doesn’t it? She met someone else but didn’t want to give up the gig with Mam, so it was all very civilised. She stayed here and became Mam’s latest protégée.’ He gave a twisted smile. ‘Polly moved into the farmhouse.’

Hannah’s mouth dropped open. ‘That’s…’ She wanted to say brutal.