‘What are your hopes for the coming year?’ Mr Lister asked.

It struck Chloe as a surprisingly personal question. ‘I’m not sure,’ she said. ‘I’d like to pass my exams.’

‘I can see why Zadie calls you a good influence.’

‘Does she?’ Is that why you made her invite me is what she really wanted to say.

‘The way he says it makes it sound boring,’ said Zadie, coming through the door at the far side of the room, ‘but it’s meant as a compliment.’ She threw her arms around Chloe. Her dress was bright green, contrasting beautifully with her very unlikely tan.

‘Hello, darling, you look lovely – are you feeling better? Chloe here was all on her own.’

Zadie cocked her head. ‘What do you mean? I’ve been fine all day.’

Mr Lister looked as if he was going to say something, but then stopped. ‘I’m going to go and chivvy your mother. She can’t be the last down at her own party.’

Zadie topped up a champagne glass right to the rim, then sipped from it to stop it from spilling. ‘I’m so glad you’re here.’

‘Thank you for inviting me. Are you okay?’

‘Why do people keep asking me that?’

‘Your mother said you weren’t having a good day, then Max said you were asleep, so I was just—’

‘I’m fine,’ snapped Zadie. It was the first time she’d ever been anything even approaching sharp with Chloe. ‘Where’s Max?’

Chloe sensed that being confused, or suggesting that Zadie should know where Zadie’s boyfriend was, might go down badly. ‘I’m not sure,’ she said. ‘I saw him a bit earlier, when we were having tea.’

‘Did he behave himself? Make an effort to talk to people?’

‘Yes,’ Chloe lied. ‘He looked like he was having a good time.’

Not long after Chloe and Zadie had come downstairs the room was heaving, loud with chatter and the clink of glasses. Chloe’s parents didn’t have parties, not really. Sometimes they had a few friends over and sat in the garden with the ‘girls’, who drank sweet rosé, and the ‘boys’ (everyone was in their late forties), who drank beer. But this kind of party, where people with interesting jobs and interesting lives milled around talking to each other, flirting, laughing, and would all fall into their various bedrooms upstairs afterwards, this was an entirely different thing. There was pretty French music on in the background and the children had been allowed to stay up on the proviso that they passed around tray after tray of blinis. Chloe had found herself embroiled in a long conversation with an attractive middle-aged literary agent when Zadie came up behind her and placed her cold hand on the naked portion of her back. Chloe jumped, then laughed. The man excused himself.