‘Rupert,’ I whisper, feigning shock, ‘we can’t! Not here.’

‘We can.’ He turns me away from him, unzipping my dress as I lean against the square ceramic sink. He kisses my neck, his hands running over my breasts, before I hear a zip drop and I gasp as he enters me from behind, watching our reflections in the mirror above the sink the whole time.

After, as I pull my dress back on, conscious of my flushed cheeks and wayward curls, Rupert zips me back up, kissing the back of my neck tenderly, before wrapping his arms around my waist.

‘Has everyone been OK with you? I’m sorry I abandoned you; it’s been a while since I saw everyone.’

I turn to face him. ‘Everyone has been absolutely lovely. I’ve been made to feel very welcome.’ I can’t quite meet his eyes as I say it, but I’m not going to tell him that his sister-in-law called me by his dead wife’s name. ‘I just came in to use the bathroom.’ We both suppress a giggle, leaning against each other, our breath coming in tiny gasps as we try to keep quiet.

‘Meet me outside in five minutes.’ Rupert kisses me again, more deeply this time. ‘Make sure you grab some more champagne on the way out too.’ He winks.

I take my time to freshen up in the bathroom, fixing my hair and pouting into the mirror as I slick on some more lipstick. The wine has gone to my head a little, and I run my wrists under the cold tap to cool down. As I approach the kitchen to refill my glass, I see Amanda and Sadie at the counter, heads together, oblivious to my presence.

‘What do you think of her, honestly?’ Amanda is saying. It looks as though they are both cutting fruit for Pimms. I hold my breath, waiting to hear Sadie’s response.

‘She seems all right, I suppose. Not really the type I thought Rupert would settle for.’ Sadie pauses for a moment. ‘He seems happy, though.’

‘You don’t think she’s just after his money? She’s a lot younger than him and she hasn’t exactly got a career, has she?’

‘Well, neither have I, if you’re really honest.’ Both women snort with laughter, as if the idea of Sadie working for a living is a huge joke, which I suppose it is really, with that kind of money behind her. Despite the sharp sting of hurt, I wait for a moment, curling myself around the doorframe so that if either woman turns they won’t see me, unsure of whether to announce my presence or wait and see what else they say. My mother always said an eavesdropper never hears good of themselves, but part of me wants to hear what they’ll say next.