She opened her eyes wide and attempted a smile that she knew came out askew. ‘I’m exhausted,’ she said, ‘shut the door after you, please.’

He took the hint and left.

Hearing the front door shut, she closed her eyes and groaned. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so wretched. She’d overdone it. With difficulty, she swung her legs up onto the sofa and slid her shoulders down, pulling the cushion under her head.

And then, everything went dark.

29

It was the light shining through the windows that woke Molly the next morning. Opening her eyes briefly, she thought she was going to die. Every single part of her body ached. Her mouth was dry, her breath rancid. Even her eyeballs hurt.

Very slowly, she moved her legs to the floor and used the arm of the chair to pull herself upright. Immediately, her head spun. It was a few minutes before she was able to move to the kitchen where she filled a glass of water and drank it slowly, filling it and taking it back to the sofa.

She lay down again, pulled a blanket over herself and shut her eyes, opening them with a groan when she remembered her car. Her mobile was in her pocket, she pulled it out. It was only five. Jack wouldn’t have surfaced yet. She sent him a text. Car clamped in hotel car park. Got taxi home. Sort it out.

He’d have a thumping headache, and it was the last thing he’d want to do, but she never doubted that he would do it anyway. He’d be feeling guilty, so would be pleased to be doing something for her and would never think of it as being his fault in the first place.

Sometime today, when they both felt better, they’d sit down and discuss the gambling. Stuart was an insufferable prig; he’d probably exaggerated everything to make himself sound more important. She’d sit down with Jack and find out exactly what was going on. The decision made, it helped her relax and within minutes, despite the aches and pains, she fell asleep again.

When she next woke, the first thing she noticed was that her head didn’t ache. It was a relief, because she was beginning to wonder if the doctors in the hospital had missed something. It wasn’t unheard of. Sitting up, she was glad to find the dizziness too, had gone. Her ribs still ached; her bruises were still a lovely shade of green but all in all she felt much better.