‘But that means that we have to work together to make sure this thing with Satnam doesn’t derail you.’ He taps two fingers on the back of her hand and oh God, she could burst. ‘So I think you should tell me what’s troubling you. Your friend in hospital, obviously, but deeper than that.’

She sits back in her chair feeling the breath in her body, sensing that the time has finally come and that the Dean will not only listen but he will understand. Taking a deep breath through her nose she opens her mouth and begins to speak, starting with what Jessica had said about the row at the Valentine’s Day party, leaving Natasha out of the picture, and going on to say that she had found Satnam crying and saying she wanted to leave and how she, Nevis, is someone who likes clear lines of thought and this has all become a bit of a jumble in her head and left her unsure what to think.

Once she’s finished, to her surprise, he reaches out and takes her hand in his as if he were placing something very precious in it. There is something so shocking about the feel of her hand inside another, larger and masculine, that she does not think to pull away. Perhaps she does not want to pull away. She is not thinking about Jessica or about Satnam now. She is thinking about him, the touch of his palm in hers, the pulse in his fingers, the brush of the hairs on his arm on her wrist. The moment lasts a few seconds but leaves her feeling deliciously bewildered.

‘Look,’ he says, ‘there’s absolutely no point in speculating about what might or might not have been going through Satnam’s mind. The important thing is to stay strong and try not to let any of this get to you. Stay away from social media and keep your distance from anyone who tries to push you off course.’ He sets his glass aside and dabs at his mouth. She watches his lips. ‘Speaking of which, haven’t I seen you and Natasha Tillotson together in the last couple of days? You were in the library, as I recall.’

‘Yes,’ – she hadn’t spotted him there, ‘but I’ve only got to know her very recently. Since…’ She tails off, realising that she hasn’t mentioned Tash’s emails and wondering if she should, then deciding against it. From what he just said the Dean thinks Tash might come into the category of people it might be best to avoid right now. Besides which, there is no need to resort to tittle-tattle or idle gossip. The Dean would think less of her if she divulged anything that wasn’t relevant or made Natasha look bad.