“You look lovely,” said Emma. “Really lovely, you can see your face at last. Don’t you feel wonderful?”

“Not sure.” Lulu ran an experimental hand over the new texture of her head. “Don’t you think he took off a bit too much?”

“Well, that’s the good thing about having it shorter,” said Emma. “You can experiment and find your best length. I think it looks lovely, Lulu, Mom’s going to be delighted. Oh, let’s not tell her. Let’s drop in on her when we get home tomorrow and surprise her.”

“Um, bit of a problem there.” Sophie waved her hand over her glass. “She already sort of knows. She wants a photograph, in fact. Hold still.”

She pointed her mobile phone at Lulu and clicked.

“You’ve told her?” said Lulu. “You little ratbag. I can’t believe you told her before I did.”

“Well, one of us was going to,” said Sophie. “It’s not like we’ve ever had secrets.” She looked a little anxiously at her sisters. “Have we?” she asked.

Emma smiled at her kindly. “No, Sophie,” she said. “We don’t have secrets. We don’t need them.”

“Well, not for long,” amended Lulu, thinking of the letters in the attic.

“And speaking of secrets, Sophie,” continued Emma, “for about the seven-thousand-five-hundred-and-third time, have you decided yet who you’re going to bring to the wedding as your date?”

Sophie shrugged. “I expect probably Jamie,” she said. “He’s my best boyfriend, and I’m not really seeing anyone else.”

Lulu looked at Sophie, then drew her brows down and inspected her champagne glass; she had grown fond of Jamie over the last year.

“You sure you should be leading him on like this?” she asked quietly. “Since he’s in love with you and everything.”

“Jamie?” Sophie stared at her in astonishment. “In love with me?”

Emma and Lulu exchanged glances.

“Well, yes, Sophie,” said Emma. “Jamie in love with you. Hadn’t you noticed?”

“Jamie?” repeated Sophie. “Don’t be silly, we’ve been friends for years.”

Lulu shook her head. “And people never fall in love with people they’re friends with,” she said. “It’s a scientifically proven fact.”

“Well, Jamie and I don’t,” said Sophie. “This is Jamie, for heaven’s sake.”

“When you die,” said Lulu, “I want you to leave your brain to medicine so that we can all find out what it’s made of. Everyone knows Jamie’s in love with you. Even I know that, and I never know these things.”

“Had you really not noticed?” said Emma. “The way he looks at you with those great sad eyes, all yearning and puppy dog?”

“Oh, that’s just Jamie,” said Sophie. “He looks at everyone like that.” Then frowned a little. “Doesn’t he?” she asked.

“No,” said Emma. “He doesn’t.”

“Oh,” said Sophie. She blinked a little, and stared into the distance.

Lulu narrowed her eyes at her.

“Have you actually formally asked him to the wedding?” she asked. “It’s in three weeks’ time, and if you’re really planning to take him, I should think he’d probably like a little bit of advance notice.”