Merrin liked her on sight. This was how it worked when dealing with the public all day, every day: she very quickly decided whom she liked and would go the extra mile for and whom she would not. And it was a decision largely predicated on how the person entering the hotel treated her. She thought ‘prepare for chaos’ an odd choice of phrase for someone with the poise of this woman in her tailored jeans, high heels and with a large mustard-coloured handbag hanging from her slender forearm; chaos didn’t seem like her natural bedfellow. That was until two adorable, shiny-haired twin boys ran in directly after her and, with arms wide like aeroplanes, whizzed around the reception like a couple of Spitfires mid dog-fight. They matched in chinos and mini blue Oxford button-downs beneath woollen tank tops, and Merrin wondered if she had inadvertently wandered into a Gap ad.

The woman smiled at them lovingly and shook her head. Merrin could see that far from their antics troubling her, the blonde lady clearly adored the chaos that these little scamps brought with them.

‘Freddie! Noah! Don’t touch anything. I mean it – nothing! And don’t go too far,’ she called out. Her accent was pure cut-glass and Merrin thought she’d make a lovely newsreader.

The boys, chubby little babies who teetered on fat legs, as if walking were still a novelty, ignored their mother and disappeared on to the deep sofa. She could hear them burbling sweet baby talk.

‘They’re lovely.’ She smiled at the woman who now rested her stunning Birkin bag on the countertop.

‘Yes, they are lovely, most of the time, but my God, don’t be fooled by their sweet faces; they can be absolute monsters. And they gang up on me, you know. There are many days when the time I love them most is when they are sound asleep and I get a big fat gin as a reward for surviving the day!’ She ran her hand through her hair, a large, square diamond sparkling in the chandelier’s light. Merrin wondered if it were baubles like that which kept the woman happy, maintained the illusion of love.

‘Well, we have a wide selection of gins and so I hope you enjoy your stay here. Would you like to check in?’ Whilst not wanting to hurry the woman, she had a million chores awaiting her attention.

‘Yes, please! Let’s do that. My husband’s parking the car and probably secretly smoking somewhere, which is why he’s taking so long. He thinks a handful of Polos can disguise the smell, the poor love.’