‘You’re not exactly making that sound like a compliment.’

She shrugged. ‘I just think it can leave you a little vulnerable sometimes, that’s all.’

‘Are you implying that I was naïve about Jason?’ I asked, irritated at the thought.

‘Oh, of course I’m not, Edie,’ she said, gently. ‘I never for one moment thought he was sleeping around and neither did anyone else.’ Her expression hardened momentarily at the thought. ‘He hid that side of himself brilliantly.’

‘He did,’ I nodded grimly. ‘But while I accept that there will always be people, like Jason, who will let you down, I still believe that if you expect the best of people, you get the best from people – most of the time,’ I said, emphasising the caveat.

She smiled. ‘OK, you stick with that approach, if it works for you. But it’s not for me.’

‘That reminds me,’ I said, reaching across the table and prodding her knee. ‘What’s your beef with the Cockney sparra that is Mr Cameron Grange? Did you see that he left a coffee on my desk after lunch, before he went off to his meeting? How magnanimous was that? I’m going to make a real effort with him starting Monday. I hate the thought of there being any tension in the office, don’t you?’

I smiled questioningly at her, but her expression darkened and her mouth flatlined resolutely. ‘Look, Edie, I’ve been wondering whether to tell you about something ever since you got back,’ she began, so quietly that I had to lean forward in my chair to hear her above the noise of the increasingly busy bar. ‘I don’t want to make things difficult for you but, on the other hand, I think you should know.’

I stared at her, feeling slightly anxious but mostly intrigued as to what the gossip might be. ‘What? What? What?’ I breathed.

She looked at me over the top of her glass. ‘If I tell you, you must keep it to yourself. If you talk to Alison about it, it’ll just stir things up and you’ll make things really difficult for me – and you could get Luke into trouble too. I’m telling you only so you know to be on your guard.’

‘Solemn oath,’ I said dramatically, placing a hand on my chest. ‘Hand on heart.’

She rolled her eyes disapprovingly and then, after pausing to take a deep breath, said, ‘Luke told me, when he was tipsy, that Cameron is apparently prone to varying his fees according to gender.’

‘Meaning?’

‘Meaning that he’ll build you an erection in exchange for you helping him to get one.’

‘Ruby Blair!’ I laughed explosively. ‘You,’ I jabbed my wine glass towards her, ‘are dreadful. What a completely outrageous thing to say.’