‘I never said he did,’ Evan said, back-pedalling. ‘There’s no way he would. I know Nick. He’s a good guy.’

‘Anna denies that they talked about it. She says it was just a chat about her moving here.’

‘Oh, come on, Grace. You don’t really believe that, do you?’

‘No,’ I said quietly.

Evan leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head. ‘But something happened all those years ago. And whatever it is must have gone very deep. Maybe it’s PTSD?’

‘That’s what I’ve been thinking,’ Cassie said. ‘You know, what with his nightmares and everything.’

I had a large glass of wine in front of me. I picked it up and swirled it slowly. ‘I know you’re right,’ I said. ‘But I refuse to believe that Nick has done anything wrong. He’s honest and gentle and he just wouldn’t.’

‘Of course he wouldn’t.’

Cassie took the glass out of my hand and set it down on the table. I hadn’t realized how much I was trembling.

‘No way,’ Evan said. ‘He’s a good mate. Don’t worry, Grace. I’ll bet, once you scratch beneath the surface, you’ll find Anna’s at the bottom of this. There’s something not right about her.’

Cassie laughed. ‘Didn’t stop you flirting with her at the Filbys’ drinks.’

‘What do you mean?’ His face was all innocence. ‘We were discussing Brexit.’

‘You were putty in her hands.’

I watched their to-and-froing with amusement, then interrupted, addressing Evan, ‘Is she really attractive?’

He stretched a kink in his neck. ‘Well, you know.’

‘No, I don’t know. On a scale of one to ten, where would you put her?’

He widened his eyes. ‘You’re asking me to tell you that in front of the wife?’

‘Don’t mind me,’ Cassie said. ‘Go right ahead. I’m interested.’

‘She’s striking,’ Evan said. He rubbed his jaw, looking from me to Cassie. ‘Oh, for Christ’s sake. Right, you asked for it. Anna is a nine.’

‘Wow,’ Cassie said. ‘What does that make me?’

‘I knew you would take it like that.’ He sighed and stretched across the table to take her hand. ‘You are gorgeous, darling. Anna is a nine, but she’s trouble, so she scares men off.’

‘Digging yourself even deeper, dear,’ Cassie said.

I remember Evan’s words as I make breakfast for Lottie. Anna scares men. Why? What is it about her that provokes that reaction? I wish I had questioned him more closely, but I thought it best to change the subject. What I think is that it’s the conflict between the predator in Anna and the needy, vulnerable woman that creates the problematic vibe.

Trouble.