‘I love music actually. We’ve got a cool mash-up for the campaign soundtrack, a bit of grime and rap. Drew the line at drill though.’

‘Campaign?’ I asked, confused.

‘I’m running for Parliament – you may have heard?’ Marcus dropped his gaze in what might have been faux modesty. ‘I stand or fall on October’s by-election. Hoping Stormzy might show up to the street party, get some young voters on side. Does your son like him?’

‘Think so.’ A handful of pennies dropped with a clatter. ‘But Stormzy? Do you – are you mates with him then?’

‘Got a mate with a mate at his record company, you know how it is.’

Not really.

‘That’d be Zach’s dream.’ I stifled a sigh. ‘Working with music.’

‘Really?’ Marcus’s eyes fixed on mine. ‘Let me see what I can do. An internship, maybe?’

‘Oh.’ His eyes were boring into me. ‘Gosh. Well, yes – thanks.’

‘And, if I promise to keep your wine topped up’ – his hand touched mine lightly – ‘can I count on your vote?’

‘Tip-top.’ Deeply flustered now, I sidestepped this question. ‘No more wine, ta. So is that why your daughter—’

‘Is leaving St Bede’s and starting at Northgate? Kind of. I was never that keen on private education anyway. Not all it’s cracked up to be.’

Said the man from the one per cent: a man who must have slid through every greased channel of the monied elite.

‘Gosh. Parliament. Brave, in this day and age.’

‘Yeah, well.’ Marcus looked suitably mournful. ‘I just can’t stand by anymore, everything’s got so out of hand. The street party will help, I hope.’

‘Yes, I can see that – it’s been so unsettling recently.’ I forced a smile, unsure what to say next, and definitely feeling tipsy.

‘Your smile’s beautiful,’ he said quietly. ‘So, what do you reckon?’

Wrong-footed, my face flamed at the intimacy. ‘Sorry. About you running for Parliament?’

‘Stop saying sorry, silly! I meant about the wine. Almost as good as a Mateus Rosé, yeah?’ Marcus clinked my glass. ‘And so sorry about that thing earlier, with Dores. Truth is, I’d just caught her stealing out of Nella’s bag, but I don’t want to tell Nella that. She’d be so mortified to have trusted Dores and been duped like that.’

‘Oh no!’ I was shocked and also strangely relieved. ‘Oh, I see.’

‘She’s got enough on her plate with the Willow thing.’ He patted my hand again. ‘Our secret, yeah?’

I felt lighter than I had all night as he went over to top Rex up.

He couldn’t be a total arse if he liked Mateus Rosé, the drink of my youth. Could he?

Upstairs, voices had been raised again.

‘I completely forgot Willow had a dance rehearsal,’ Nella sighed on her return. ‘If it’s not in the online diary, it’s not happening!’

The dying candles guttered in the sultry breeze, heralding our last hurrah as we finished our coffee, standing in Nella’s metaphorical sun.