Antonio made a grumbling noise and stood up, pushing his chair back. ‘You two can gossip all you like.’ He looked at Steph. ‘And gossip it is. Please don’t pay any attention to what these two are saying.’

Once Antonio had left the kitchen, Hazel started up where she had left off.

‘Elizabeth was bored here. I think that’s why she liked to flirt. It was a bit of amusement for her.’

‘So that night, when she got really drunk – did Harry and Dominic have a big falling out?’

‘You might as well tell her now you’ve started,’ said Eileen, folding her arms across her chest and sitting back in her chair, whereas Hazel leaned forward, glee plastered across her face.

‘Apparently, Harry went out onto the terrace and heard them flirting with each other. He told Dominic he was egging her on and should know better. Dominic told him he was overreacting and he should keep his wife under control.’

Steph raised an eyebrow. ‘What a chauvinistic thing to say.’

‘Dominic’s a bit like that. He’s a good-looking man but boy, does he know it. He’s had his fair share of lady friends and I’m not sure all of them have been on the market, if you get my meaning,’ said Hazel.

‘So the brothers didn’t have a massive row?’ probed Steph.

‘No, a few words and then Harry carted Elizabeth off. But the next day they had a proper barney.’

‘They nearly came to blows,’ said Eileen. ‘If it wasn’t for Owen getting in between them and Mrs Sinclair Senior coming in, I dread to think what would have happened.’

‘Why did Harry wait until the next day though? You’d think he’d have kicked off when he heard them flirting,’ said Steph.

‘No one really knows but the story goes that Dominic teased Harry about it the next morning,’ said Hazel. ‘You see, Dominic, as the eldest, considers himself top dog. He likes to remind everyone of that now and again and flirting with Harry’s wife, letting Harry know he could probably wind Elizabeth round his little finger, was his way of reminding his younger brother who was in charge.’

Steph took a moment to digest this information. ‘I know Dominic likes to flex his muscles but I didn’t realise it extended to his brother. I was under the impression they got on well.’

‘As a rule, they do,’ said Eileen, getting up and collecting the plates. ‘But, like between any strong-minded men, there’s sometimes a bit of conflict and a challenge for the role of silverback.’

‘If she wasn’t off spending money on designer this and designer that, then she was stuck here. Harry was always working. She didn’t have anything to do with her time.’

‘Didn’t she have any friends?’ asked Steph. ‘There must have been someone she knew.’