‘You’re right about that,’ said Nina, with a snuffle. ‘I think Bea went to London because she was annoyed with me for being a doormat.’

‘That’s a shame. She’d be better off staying here to support you.’ Tess pushed back her hair. ‘I’m sorry, Nina. I’m hectoring you, and I shouldn’t. You’ve got to make your own decisions. I’m trying to sound like I’ve got all the answers when I haven’t.’

‘Thanks,’ said Nina, in a tiny voice. ‘I feel so stupid. I remember how keen I was to organise other people’s lives, including yours. And there I was, making a hames of my own.’

‘We all do stupid things.’

‘Some of us have a particular gift for it.’

‘You want to hear about stupidity? I married a total idiot called Aaron Grace. Very pretty guy. American. Unfortunately, he was so thick he kept confusing Ireland with Iceland. He once asked me why I didn’t look like Björk. Thankfully, the marriage only lasted five minutes.’ Nina went to speak, but Tess batted her away. ‘I once went AWOL when I was supposed to be filming a TV commercial. The perfume company said they’d never have anything to do with me again. I lost a fortune, as did my agent. I had a spell in rehab too. Did you know that? “Exhaustion” was the official explanation. The truth is, I was hooked on anti-anxiety drugs. I loved them so much I’d started hallucinating.’ Tess picked up her glass. ‘By the way, I’m being selective here. I’ve done plenty of things that were even dumber and sleazier.’

‘All right, I’m not alone in my stupidity.’

‘You loved Julian. You didn’t love Tom. What could you do?’

‘It wasn’t as simple as that. I did love Tom. Looking back, it was as if being loved by someone from Kilmitten wasn’t enough. I wanted an outsider to love me. To approve of me.’

‘Beware the glamorous stranger,’ said Tess, pouring some more champagne. The bottle was almost empty. ‘Not that I ever followed that advice myself.’

‘So much frightens me,’ said Nina. ‘Every day, no, every hour a new fear pops into my head. Most of them are practical. Will we have to sell the house? What’ll my parents say? And then … then there are all the other fears. The mad, intangible ones. You know what I found myself wondering this morning? I wondered if I’ll ever desire someone again. Or is that part of my life over?’ She raised a hand. ‘Don’t worry, I don’t expect an answer.’

For a short while, they ate in silence.