I shifted awkwardly on the velvet sofa. We stayed. Hayley, who hadn’t managed her starter, suddenly reacquired her appetite. We ate oysters, roast monkfish, venison. Champagne and elderflower cheesecake. Each dish served with a glass of wine specially selected by the sommelier. Hayley disappeared to the bathroom twice, returning each time with a complexion redder and more blotchy.

At the end of the meal, over coffee and mints, she asked, ‘What are you going to do? Are you going to insist I leave?’ She paused. ‘Are you really going to sack me?’

I looked her in the eye. ‘I’m going to tell Saffron. See what she thinks.’

‘Please don’t,’ Hayley begged. ‘If she knows, she will definitely want me to go. And I really want to stay.’

‘There are lots of jobs out there, and we’ll give you a good reference. Don’t you think it would be difficult from now on with this, er … awkwardness between us?’

‘I won’t make it awkward. Now I know you’re not interested I’ll forget about you immediately. I’m a good nanny. Saffron trusts me. Caprice caused this trouble.’ She shrugged. ‘Why let her rock the boat? I have a boyfriend anyway. You would have been a complication.’

I sat sipping my coffee, unsure of what to say. We all know about Jono. None of us think she is serious about him. Her eyes filled with tears. About to cry again. I felt so sorry for her. It must have been my fault, leading her on by mistake, by being too kind to her. Just like it happened with Kirsty; a slow student whom I was trying to help. She mistook kindness for passion. Hayley is young too. Hayley is innocent. Am I the culpable one?

Guilt and worry tangle together inside me, as I lie next to my wife, thinking about what happened.

‘I shouldn’t have blown it,’ Hayley continued. ‘I love Ben and Harry. They are my favourite sort of children. Old enough to hold a proper conversation, and they’re so sweet and funny. You and Saffron are such kind people to work for, and Esher is a dream location. My accommodation is incredible.’

She dropped her head into her hands, snivelling, as I checked Caprice’s tab for the bill. I heard her promise ‘I’ll never pester you again,’ several times between sobs.

‘Let’s talk about it tomorrow evening,’ I said. I wanted to sleep on it. I needed time to decide how to deal with this. Dealing with young women obviously isn’t my strong point.

Eyes were on us as we left the restaurant. She was crying so much, I couldn’t face public transport, so we took a taxi. She cried all the way home while the taxi driver gave me dark looks through the rear-view mirror.

‘Is the young lady all right?’ he asked.

‘She’s fine,’ I replied, voice tight.