She quickly found her coat, handbag, and just one of her shoes. Where the hell was the other? Crisp cotton hotel sheets rustled as Conor turned over and she held her breath. Please don’t let him wake up. It would be even more mortifying if he caught her trying to steal away. She listened, but his breathing remained steady and even. For a moment she was tempted to take a final peek at him but then she decided that was a) a bit pervy and b) too risky.

Where the heck was her dratted shoe? Cinderella she wasn’t. Outside, the birds started up with a piping tweet here and a sweet whistle there. The dawn chorus. Strands of pink started to fill the sky through the window. In their haste last night, they hadn’t bothered with curtains. Conor turned again and his breathing changed. Oh no, what if he woke up now?

Sod it. When was she going to wear heels again while she was here? Mina had told her she’d be on her feet all day. She’d have to leave it. On her hands and knees, she inched her way towards the door, grateful for the protection of the corridor which led to the bathroom. At last, she grasped the door handle and slipped out, so relieved that she’d made it she didn’t care if there was anyone in the hallway to see her walk of shame.

Two hours later, she slipped into the driver’s seat of the little Peugeot she’d hired, her head flopping back against the head rest as she went limp for a second. Phew. Mission accomplished. When she’d got back to her room, there was no way she could have gone back to sleep so she’d ordered a room service breakfast, and although her heart had hammered against her ribs when she was in reception checking out, she’d made it out to the car park without setting eyes on Conor. Now she was home free and could look forward to her next adventure. With a heartfelt sigh, she switched on the engine and steered the little Peugeot out of the hotel car park, following the directions of the map application on her phone.

It was eight o’clock and the roads were busy with people heading to work, but she navigated the ring road without too many problems and decided to take it steady. There was a four-hour drive ahead of her, crossing to the other side of Ireland to the county of Kerry. As she wasn’t due until two, she had bags of time. She would stop for lunch; perhaps be brave and search out somewhere interesting en route.