‘These are too long. They need another inch off the bottom to fit into the steamers.’ With that impersonal observation, he turned and walked away. She narrowed her eyes, watching his broad back in his chef’s whites and was about to poke her tongue out at him when she realised that Adrienne was watching with interest, her bird-like eyes bright and keen. Hannah’s mouth twisted and she ducked her head and began chopping again. Sod Conor Byrne. He was an overgrown kid who needed to sort things out with his mother. He was the one with the problem.

When she looked up next, having redone all the asparagus to the correct size, Conor had disappeared but Adrienne was passing. ‘What would you like me to do with these?’ Hannah asked.

‘Oh, could you pop them in the cold room? We’ll store most of the food in there, ready for this evening when kitchen prep starts.’

Hannah picked up the tray and walked from the kitchen into the narrow corridor which led to the cold store, realising she needed to go to the loo. Popping the tray down she retreated and hurried to the ladies’, realising that the regular coffee breaks she and Izzy had taken earlier were now making themselves felt. At the sight of the chaise longue, she was tempted to take a seat and bawl her eyes out. Clearly Conor, who had got completely the wrong end of the stick, was not going to forgive her anytime soon. And she didn’t feel like forgiving him and his quick assumptions about her. It was a matter of pride, but it also hurt that he couldn’t even bring himself to speak to her. What had happened to the friendship and camaraderie that had developed between them in the cottage? Had she really imagined that special moment in Dublin when she’d thought at the very least he was going to say he really liked her? Was it just wishful thinking that she’d hoped he might love her? Which just went to show what an idiot she was, believing in fairy tales.

She glared at herself in the mirror as she washed her hands. You idiot, she mouthed.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Thankfully, Conor continued to avoid her in the kitchen for the rest of the day and as the afternoon progressed, things started to get more frenetic. There wasn’t time to think, let alone think about him. At three o’clock Adrienne declared that their work was done and that the professionals would take over from here.