Despite losing her preferred seating partner, April was happy to be next to Tara, and the conversation and drinks flowed. They pulled Christmas crackers and told jokes, and at one point between courses, Justine gathered them into a huddle for a group photo. They had all been laughing when it was taken, not the sort of snap you’d expect from a bereavement group, but it felt good. April had started to relax, but when the dessert plates were cleared and the lights dimmed, her nerves returned. She didn’t know how or if she should go through with her plan to get back at her dead husband, and as she pondered her options, Iain followed her gaze and shouted over to Nick.

‘We’re going to prop up the bar for a bit. Care to join us?’

‘Maybe later,’ Nick called back. He was further along the table, next to Faith.

April had been given a reprieve and she was still struggling to build up courage when Jodie got to her feet, urging the rest of the group to hit the dance floor. An Aretha Franklin song was playing.

‘I wouldn’t dare in this dress,’ April said, pressing her back to her chair. Some of the others were more willing, but notably Nick wasn’t one of them. An empty space had opened up next to him. This was her chance to make her move.

‘Are you OK?’ Tara asked, having also avoided being pulled onto the dance floor.

April beamed a smile. ‘I’m fine,’ she said.

Tara looked about to call out the lie, but Justine plonked herself down on Tara’s right and tugged at her shoulder. ‘Do you think we should do a roll call at the end of the night?’ she bellowed above the thrum of music. ‘There’s one or two who are drinking way too much, and we need to make sure everyone gets home safely.’

Tara was forced to turn her back to reply to Justine, releasing April to find company elsewhere. She picked up her bag but remained seated, unsure if she had the courage to join Nick or should retreat to the Ladies to fix her make-up. Another option was to slope off home. Her dad would be disappointed that she hadn’t made it past midnight, but it would mean he could clock off from chauffeur duties earlier than expected.

‘Come on, you,’ Faith said, sweeping past Tara and holding out her hand to April. ‘We can’t have you sitting there by yourself. How about a boogie?’

‘It’s all right, Jodie asked me before,’ April said, but Faith wouldn’t take no for an answer.

It looked like Faith was going to pick Nick up on their way past and April surreptitiously adjusted her dress to make sure everything was secure.

‘Actually, I need to nip to the loo first,’ Faith said as they reached Nick’s side.

‘I’ll come with you,’ said April.