Hannah gulped, glad that Fliss was looking down and couldn’t see the expression on her face. Conor and Fliss! It didn’t bear thinking about. She was far too young for him, and what a shame that she thought that he was the answer to her problems. No wonder Conor had turned his back on the celebrity chef circuit.

‘And I’ve just made a complete idiot of myself.’ Her chin wobbled. ‘I don’t know what to do now. Maybe I should just leave. I don’t think I can face everyone again.’

‘Don’t be silly,’ said Hannah, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. ‘I think you and Jason have got a lot more in common than you think. That night in the pub when you played darts, you had a great time. Why don’t you talk to him, explain how you feel? He might surprise you.’

‘Huh, you think?’ Fliss bristled again.

‘What’s the worst that can happen?’

‘He can take the piss out of me even more.’

‘Well then, you can go home,’ said Hannah. It was a bit callous but sometimes being brutal with people and honest about a situation worked best.

Fliss laughed. ‘You sound like one of my brothers. Sorry. I’m much nicer than this normally. I was trying to be confident; instead I just came over as a stuck-up cow. Oh God, I’ve got to go back and face everyone, haven’t I?’

‘Yes, but if it’s any consolation, Meredith told Jason off. He was rude and unkind.’

‘I’m not going to say I deserve it because he was really winding me up. Doesn’t he realise how lucky he is to be here? And his boss is paying for him. I had to beg Daddy to let me come. He only coughed up because it was cheaper than me going to uni. Not that I’d have got in anyway after I loused up my A levels last summer. I couldn’t bear being compared to the boys; it was easier to completely mess up so they couldn’t make comparisons.’

Hannah gaped at her. ‘You did badly on purpose?’ The idea was complete anathema to her.

Fliss shrugged. ‘I couldn’t bear it if I tried hard and my results weren’t as good as the boys’.’ She put on a deep, exasperated voice, ‘“Oh, Felicity, a B. Perhaps if you’d worked harder, like Johnny, you might have got an A.” It’s always the same. I don’t try at anything these days except cooking – none of the boys can cook to save their lives.’ Her eyes glinted with a flash of fierce determination.

‘I can understand that. And so will everyone else.’ Hannah spoke briskly; she didn’t really do emotional scenes and high drama. ‘We’ll be breaking for lunch soon – why don’t you come back in then?’