‘Bet you I can down it faster than you,’ said Fliss picking up her glass and tossing her hair over her shoulder.

‘You’re on.’

The two of them lifted their glasses while the others looked on. To everyone’s amazement, Fliss drank hers down in several smooth swallows without any sign of discomfort or difficulty, slamming her empty glass down before Jason had spluttered his way through a third of a pint.

‘Bloody ’ell, girl.’ He thrust a hand out to her. ‘Fair play.’ They shook hands and then he slapped a ten-euro note down on the table.

‘It’s all right. I don’t need to take your money.’

Jason insisted, pushing the euro note into her hand. ‘Flaming hell. Where’d you learn to do that?’

‘I’ve got brothers who always think girls can’t do anything. It’s my life’s mission to prove them wrong.’ Her smile was smug.

Guinness, Hannah decided, was all right. She enjoyed the smooth bitterness as it slipped down her throat. With the six of them gathered around the table, Fliss and Jason in rare accord, it was a convivial evening. All of them were tired but mellow and the drinks went down well as they talked about the first week’s experiences. It was funny, thought Hannah, how quickly they’d all bonded into a united group, even though they were all so different.

Hannah’s brain reeled with all the new information and her feet were still complaining, but the atmosphere of the pub and the novelty of being somewhere different began to perk them all up. Jason and Alan wandered off to the dartboard followed by Fliss who, it turned out, was a dab hand with the arrows and soon she and Jason were betting each other again as to who could score the highest.

Hannah was quite happy relaxing and listening to Meredith talking about her daughters.

‘I realised that I’m in danger of being left behind. I came on the course because I wanted something for me. I’ve been a wife and mother and I don’t want to be a nothing when they go off to lead their own lives.’

Izzy rolled her eyes. ‘Lucky you. I don’t think my mother could cope without me. She’s absolutely hopeless. Leaving her for this long is a bit of a gamble. She’ll probably burn the place down, which would be a blessing because at least then we’d have the insurance.’

‘Check your policy,’ said Hannah. ‘If something happens for which someone is at fault, you might not get a payout.’

‘And aren’t you a regular ray of sunbeams,’ Izzy said, taking a swig of Guinness.