‘Oh please, Issy! He slept with a colleague of both of ours, not just once, but many times. Apparently, it was a “love” thing, or so she told most of the office. They were making plans to be together long before I found out about it. And now she’s dumped him, he’s feeling the breeze of being alone, that’s all.’

‘Yes, I accept all that, but of course he didn’t love her. I mean, Chrissie is a nice kid, but not a patch on you in the brains department. No, this was typical male behaviour, and it all comes down to lust: the excitement of a new body, the ego massage of having a younger woman after him and, let’s face it, Patrick has an incredibly large . . .’ Issy chuckled. ‘Ego.’

‘Absolutely. And you’ve just drawn your own conclusion. Patrick shouldn’t ever have been married. Perhaps he’s the kind of man who needs the permanent excitement that a wife could never give him. You know what a flirt he is. I’m positive Chrissie wasn’t the first and it’s just not up my street to be married to a serial philanderer.’

‘No,’ Issy sighed. ‘Maybe you’re right. Anyway, at least you have talked. God knows how he found out I was coming to Norfolk, but he insisted on offering me a lift.’

‘You shouldn’t have accepted, for my sake.’

‘Sweetie, you know I hate public transport.’ Issy sniffed.

‘Sorry, but that’s no excuse. Call yourself a friend? Huh! I nearly died of shock when he turned up at the pub last night. You might have warned me.’

‘He made me swear I wouldn’t tell you he was here. He knew you’d run. And so did I.’ Issy smiled. ‘Come on, Jazz, there must have been a small part of you that was glad Patrick turned up whilst you were being wined and dined by a prospective lover?’

Jazz was rendered speechless. She couldn’t believe what Issy had done. Finally, she said, ‘Are you telling me you set him up to find me? Christ, you had no idea whom I was meeting!’

Issy leaned forward. ‘So can you honestly tell me that last night, when you saw Patrick, you felt nothing for him at all?’

Jazz could feel the colour rising to her cheeks. ‘Enough! No more interfering from you, thanks. And I mean it, Issy!’

Issy shrugged. ‘Okay. Sorry.’

Thankfully, Miles arrived with three mugs of coffee. ‘Instant, I’m afraid. Best I could do.’

If he felt an atmosphere, Miles didn’t comment.

‘I’d better down my coffee and head off to the Millar household. Are you accompanying me, Jazz?’ Issy asked sweetly.

She was still fuming. ‘No. I have to go and see Mr Jones, the incompetent headmaster, and bring him up to date. The whole Hugh Daneman affair has come out in the papers today so he’s probably on edge.’ She turned to Miles. ‘Once you’ve dropped Issy at the Millars’, can you chase Hugh Daneman’s solicitor? See if he’ll release us details of the will.’ Jazz packed her laptop in its case and stood up. ‘I’ll meet you back here at twelve so you can fill me in on Rory Millar.’