They adjusted their clothing and Ralph finished the bottle, putting it back in his desk drawer, and then they walked down the back stairs together from the converted servants’ quarters. He squeezed Meredith’s arse on the way. ‘No cameras down here,’ he said cheerfully.

She thought later that it was strange she hadn’t come to her senses in the brief hiatus, while they tried, like teenagers, to find somewhere exciting and forbidden to shag. But, she supposed, she was so aroused by then that not doing it didn’t feel like an option anymore.

They reached the ground floor and cautiously emerged through the Staff Only door into the public areas of the house. It was still and quiet.

‘Where’s Leonard?’ she whispered.

‘His shift doesn’t start till nine-thirty,’ Ralph whispered back. ‘And George is over at the stables this evening. He told me earlier he was going to go and change all the lightbulbs in there because Fred’s on holiday. I think we’re alone.’

Had he planned this? Meredith doubted it. He was too pissed. But he was right about Fred the handyman being on holiday.

He did seem very aware of the timings … but she soon stopped thinking about it. They were in the long, dark corridor leading to the Gilt Room, four vast six-foot-tall Chinese vases acting as sentries as they passed by.

‘Dammit, look,’ Ralph said, jerking his head up towards the doorway. The small shiny black dome was affixed to the ornate ceiling just inside the room; a CCTV camera. ‘Kind of spoils it, doesn’t it?’

Meredith didn’t know if he was talking about the architecture or the moment.

‘Follow me,’ he added. ‘I have a plan B.’ She laughed and did as he said. This was crazy, but it was fun.

Why had she not been thinking of Paula? she later thought. It wouldn’t have seemed so much like fun then. But she felt possessed, overtaken, wild with abandon.

She followed him through the public areas of the house towards the back entrance. At the last moment he dragged her in through a wide door.

‘Ralph, oh no, not the disabled loo!’ she protested, but he pushed her up against the mirror and kissed her again as he reached over and flipped up the handle to lock them in.

Her fingers went to his zip as if they were obeying someone else’s command.

5

Meredith

Dear God, thought Meredith. Why did I do that? Why? What the hell was I thinking? And with Ralph?