I shook my head. ‘The only person outside the office I’d mentioned it to was Giles, and I didn’t name Cameron, even to him. The only other people who know anything about this are my boss, Alison, and our office administrator, Luke. And they both know the truth of the matter.’

Kerry heaved a sigh and looked relieved. ‘No harm done then.’

I looked at her incredulously. ‘What?’

‘Well,’ she waved a hand, ‘no lasting harm done – not to me or Ron, anyway.’

‘I’m not sure Cameron quite sees it like that,’ I said despondently.

‘Look,’ she said, placing her mug down on the wooden trunk beside her, ‘Ron will have been more upset that you were being difficult with him at work than he will to discover that some bitch has been lying about him. He won’t give a damn what someone like her thinks of him. But he’s seen you getting along with everyone else and he’ll have been wondering what he’s done wrong. He’ll be relieved now, once he comes out of his strop.’

I nodded, despite not sharing her confidence that Cameron would brush the matter off quite so easily. ‘I think what he was most angry about was that I’d upset you.’

Her cheeks coloured a little. ‘He’s a lovely man,’ she said.

‘Our boss thinks so highly of him.’

‘He’s like Giles; not a bad bone in his body. So anyway,’ she picked up her mug, ‘what are you going to do about this woman? Anything?’

I shrank into the armchair at the thought.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Kerry. ‘It’s none of my business.’

‘I think it is kind of your business, actually,’ I said, staring into my tea. ‘It’s certainly Cameron’s business.’

‘You’re going to talk to her?’

‘I’ve got to think about what’s best… for everyone. A lot has happened.’

‘Yes, Giles gave me that impression. Obviously, he didn’t actually tell me anything which it wasn’t absolutely necessary for me to know. He’s so flippin’ cagey,’ she tutted. ‘But he said things were complicated.’

‘He’s right – they are,’ I agreed wearily. ‘So I’m just going to take one thing at a time, and today I had to apologise to Cameron.’

She saluted me with her mug. ‘Well done for getting that sorted.’ She was about to say more but at that moment, Harry ran in from the hallway.

‘I’m in my pyjamas,’ he said, turning towards me and indicating the grey jersey pair, emblazoned with black sharks.

‘They’re great,’ I said. ‘I bet Giles would love a pair like that.’

‘My mum will get him some for Christmas.’

I looked at Kerry and she winked. ‘I’ll make a note of that.’