Manuela clicked her tongue and Ollie, the pot-wash, said, ‘What! Of course you do socks before trousers! Think about it: the sock sits underneath the trouser, so you want to make sure it’s pulled as high up the leg as possible, and to do that you need a bare leg.’

‘I’m with him on this one,’ Manuela said, like it was the most serious issue she had ever been given the task of weighing up. ‘It’s crazy to try and put on socks once your trousers are on. What if you’ve ironed the trousers and then you have to get them all crumpled?’

Penny was gripping her tummy as she laughed: what had started as an innocent observation was scaling up into world war three.

‘I cannot believe you are all arguing about this,’ uttered Agnieszka. ‘Is this what British people really talk about at parties?’

‘Hey!’ said Manuela. ‘I’m Filipino!’

‘I’m Dutch,’ said Ollie.

‘I am so bored,’ said Paul, the pastry chef. ‘Shall we do tequila shots?’

There was a rousing cheer that Penny took to mean ‘yes’.

‘Uh-oh,’ Charlie said, nudging Penny’s shoulder right as Manuela handed her a glass. Liquid spilled over onto her hand and Penny automatically went to lick it off. The strength of the booze made her tongue tingle. Around them, the lights twinkled and the glasses clinked and everyone was scrubbed up and dressed to the nines. Penny was having a really lovely time. ‘Your man Priyesh is here.’

Penny watched him as Charlie walked across and kissed him on each cheek. His shoulder-length black hair was thick and silky, teasing his shirt collar. He had a small amount of silver flecked in it, and it shocked Penny all over again that he was so attractive. His snooty voice didn’t match up with his face, and the way he carried himself.

She studied him as he approached and Charlie said, ‘Penny – you remember Priyesh, our wine merchant.’

Priyesh stuck out a hand. ‘Thank you for the invitation this evening,’ he said. ‘Your hospitality is most appreciated.’

‘You’re very welcome,’ Penny replied. ‘Please, eat. Drink. Be merry.’ She gestured around the room, almost knocking empty glasses off a tray that passed by them.

‘You’re very kind. And maybe if we get a moment I can pick your brain about what you found in the cellar recently. I heard you had quite the excavation down there. I’d love to know what bottles you found.’

He was a formal man. Penny was used to Thomas, who filled the space he occupied with both his belongings and his personality. Priyesh, on the other hand, was compact. Though he was tall, and impeccably dressed, he was totally self-contained, like nothing about him was an accident. It was all purposeful and deliberate. Uptight might be another word for it.

‘Absolutely,’ soothed Penny. ‘Once I’ve done the rounds? Hostess duty calls.’