Sadie bursts out laughing. ‘Bloody hell, Will, I don’t know about that, I’ve got to be up at the crack of dawn with the twins.’

‘Don’t you mean the nanny has to be up at the crack of dawn with the twins?’ Amanda says, laughing as Sadie looks at her in mock horror. ‘How about Salamander’s?’

They all murmur their agreement, and as we walk outside to catch a cab – we could walk, but Sadie is already bitching about her heels – I loop my arm through Rupert’s, wanting to be close to him after feeling so out in the cold.

‘I’ve never been to Salamander’s,’ I say, trying to ease the worry from my face. I’ve found the evening overwhelming and I am floundering a little, out of my depth. To now have to go to the most exclusive club in the county makes my stomach swoop, and a thick nausea rise in my throat; I don’t know if it is nerves or pisco. I’m not sure I am ready for Salamander’s. Part of me longs for our big, cosy bed, the blinds closed against the outside world, just the two of us together. ‘Do I look OK?’

‘Absolutely.’ Rupert leans down and kisses me, making my heart skip a beat. Whatever happens between us, nothing seems to kill that flame that he sparks in me. ‘You look perfect.’

‘I didn’t even know you were a member there.’

‘Yes, for years. How was your meal? You girls looked thick as thieves down that end of the table.’

‘Oh. It was lovely.’ I keep my eyes on the pavement, careful not to trip on the uneven slabs, as I wonder whether to tell him that I know about Caro and Angus Beaton. ‘It was nice to talk properly with Amanda, too. I think that’s the first time we’ve had a proper conversation.’

‘Right. Well, that’s good. It’s nice to see all you ladies getting along together.’ Rupert sticks his hand out and a black cab glides to the edge of the kerb, and my opportunity to speak frankly to him is lost. ‘Here.’ He opens the door for me, Sadie appearing by my side. ‘You girls jump in. We’ll meet you there.’