‘What’s in the bag?’ Gina asked.

‘Never you mind,’ James said lightly, tapping the side of his nose, and held open the pub door for her.

The air inside was thick with cigarette smoke and the smell of beer, and the heavily patterned carpet felt as if it were coated in grease when Gina walked on it. This place was nothing like as nice as the Lamb and Flag in Little Grindle. Why on earth had he brought her here?

‘What would you like to drink, Gina?’

Gina didn’t know. She’d never had a drink in a pub before, and only knew how clean and welcoming the Lamb and Flag was because village events were sometimes held in the back room there.

‘Er …’ she remembered Mrs Thwaite’s tipple and smiled. ‘I’ll have a gin and tonic, please, James.’

Gina sat down at a table stained with ring marks while James went to the bar and got the drinks. There were only a few people in the pub, despite the miasma of smoke, which Gina suspected never cleared, and he came back quickly with a pint of beer and Gina’s gin.

‘There’s no ice, I’m afraid,’ he said.

She didn’t mind; she hadn’t expected ice.

‘James, why are we here?’ she asked.

‘I told you, it was recommended.’

Gina looked around at the horrible interior – she noticed smears on her glass, too – and didn’t believe him. Whatever he was here for, it was something to do with what was in the bag, which he’d tucked away under his chair. He kept looking round discreetly as if he expected to see someone he knew. She decided to go along with whatever he said and see what happened.

They talked about the fête, which to Gina felt as if it was days ago now, and James laughed about his experience with Madame Bettina.

‘Oh, she was full of warnings about behaving myself,’ he laughed. ‘Worse than my father! Good thing I don’t believe a word of it. What about you?’

‘Much the same,’ said Gina, shrugging. ‘Perhaps she says that to everyone.’

James laughed. ‘Maybe she’s the self-appointed guardian of Little Grindle’s morals.’

‘Summat like that,’ agreed Gina.

Suddenly James stood up. ‘If you’ll excuse me a moment, Gina, I’m just out for a breath of air and a smoke.’ He picked up his cigarettes from the table and went towards the rear of the pub without looking back. Gina saw that a rough-looking man was standing by the door and he went out ahead of James. James, she noticed now, was carrying the little bag.