Molly was about to laugh but seeing her friend’s expression she raised an eyebrow in disbelief. ‘You’re serious? What about Tristan?’

‘Tristan will be playing golf until the light fades, he always does. Anyway’ – Amelia waved a hand dismissively – ‘enough about my sexual exploits, what’s going on with you and Jack? There isn’t someone else, is there?’

‘Don’t be silly.’ Molly ignored Amelia’s sharp eyes and pointed towards the outdoor seating on the other side of the window. ‘Why don’t we have our drinks outside? It’s a lovely day, seems a shame not to make the most of it.’

‘As long as we can sit in the shade,’ Amelia said, lifting a hand to attract the waiter’s attention. When he looked her way, she smiled, pointed outside and gave him a wave when he nodded understanding.

The drinks arrived a few minutes later, the waiter putting the large balloon glasses down carefully in front of each of them. Amelia made a big performance over tasting her G and T. ‘It might be the best I’ve ever had,’ she said, smiling up at him.

‘Thank you. Would you like to charge it to your room?’

‘Absolutely.’ Amelia swirled the cocktail stick around her glass. ‘I’m in room seven.’ When he brought her a docket to sign, she did so with dramatic flair before circling the room number heavily. ‘There you are.’ She handed it to him with a flirtatious smile.

‘Could you make it any more obvious?’ Molly said with a shake of her head when the waiter had left. ‘You don’t really think he’s going to call, do you?’

Amelia shrugged and picked up her drink. ‘My darling, I’d almost bet money on it but that would be stealing. Of course, he’ll come, and hopefully well before Tristan gets back.’

Molly laughed thinking that this time, surely, she had to be joking. The laugh died quickly when she realised, once again, she’d miscalculated. ‘But what if Tristan comes back and you’re… you know?’

‘If he walks in on us, he’ll turn around and walk out again. The proverbial blind eye, the same one I turn on his peccadillos. We have what I suppose you’d call an open marriage, Mol.’ Amelia sipped her drink and smiled. ‘Don’t look so shocked, it works for us. I love Tristan but he can be a bit of a bore in the bedroom department, so I get my excitement elsewhere.’