‘No, she’s not a bad person.’ He sighed. ‘Just not the right one for me, but pride got in the way. It’s not very nice realising that someone likes your family more than you.’ He gave a rueful laugh. I thought I loved her but I was wrong… I didn’t realise it until…’

‘Until too late,’ finished Hannah.

He gave her an unexpectedly direct look before saying, ‘Something like that.’

She faltered, not sure what to say next, as his intent stare focused on her mouth. She stared back at him, her heart almost missing a beat as she studied his handsome face. Then she reminded herself sharply that she was getting carried away. This was a fling thing. They were here for some fun; obviously seeing his ex had brought back some bad memories.

Then he dropped a soft kiss on her forehead, ‘Shall we go?’

‘Did you want a drink before dinner? We’re a touch early,’ said Conor as they left the hotel, not quite as light-hearted as normal. The encounter with Polly had left him subdued, and her thoughtful and introspective.

‘Why don’t you show me a typical Dublin pub?’

‘If that’s what you want.’

She nodded. ‘You can teach me more about whiskey.’

‘All right, then. I’m never one to turn down a good drink.’

They walked in uncharacteristic silence, both deep in their own thoughts, until he steered her into an already busy pub with revellers spilling out onto the pavement. Inside, there was a gentle roar of noise punctuated by shouts of laughter against a backdrop of piped fiddle music coming out of four speakers set up in the corners the room.

Conor wove his way through the crowd to the bar, squeezing through a rowdy hen party. The bride, a very pretty girl with the brightest-pink lipstick Hannah had ever seen and glittery sequins around her eyes, wore a very short minidress that possibly had more in common with a belt, a bright-red garter on each thigh, L plates on her back and front, and the biggest, brightest smile possible. Her ensemble was completed by a wayward full-length veil topped by a multi-coloured tiara full of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds that looked as if it had been borrowed from a Disney princess. Her hens all wore pink T-shirts with a list of cheeky hen-do dares emblazoned across the chest in white. Quite a few of the tick boxes next to the dares – including ‘lick two strangers’ moustaches’ and ‘kiss a stag’ – had been messily ticked with what looked like lipstick. Hannah guessed they’d been out for a few hours already by number of ticks on the T-shirts and the unsteady state of a few of them, as they propped each other up. Despite that, she couldn’t help smiling at them; they embodied the sort of sheer joy that comes from being totally uninhibited and out to have a good time.