I looked up to find him looking a little anxious. I reached across the desk and rubbed his arm. ‘I do, Luke.’

‘Phew. ’Cos it felt like you were coming over all earnest with me there for a minute – what with Giles being just so great and all that,’ he said, offering me a wink.

I tutted and rolled my eyes.

‘Don’t worry, I’m gonna stop annoying you now and let you get back to that.’ He pointed at my phone. ‘See you on Monday.’

‘It’s a text from Ruby,’ I said quickly, as he made to leave. ‘She’s coming to Bristol on Monday and wants to meet up for coffee. Fancy coming along for half an hour?’

‘Er… not sure. I’ll have to check. Wouldn’t you rather it was just the two of you?’ he asked, noticeably lowering his voice, anxiety again clouding his expression, as he glanced over his shoulder towards the door.

‘What’s wrong?’ I asked.

‘Nothing. Why?’

‘Don’t give me that,’ I frowned. ‘I just asked you if you wanted to come out with Ruby and your response was to look panicked.’

‘Panicked?’ He laughed nervously. ‘I’m not panicked.’

‘Well, you look it,’ I insisted. ‘And now you sound it too. What’s with checking the room to see if anyone’s listening?’

He didn’t reply, instead attempting a casual smile while adjusting his bag and shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

Did he know about Cameron and Ruby? He was behaving as if he might. But if that was the case, then I would have to screw up everything I thought I knew about Luke into a tight little ball and throw it into the bin along with my Twix wrapper. Because the Luke I knew – or thought I knew – wouldn’t buddy up to someone who harassed his female co-workers. My Luke would have distanced himself from someone like that.

‘Do you know?’ I asked quietly, afraid of the question to which I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.

‘Know what?’

‘About Cameron and Ruby,’ I replied quickly, without giving myself a chance to change my mind.

His expression became uncharacteristically serious. He looked, I thought, about ten years older.

‘I don’t want to be unprofessional,’ he said.

‘I already know. Ruby told me.’

‘What did she tell you?’

‘I promised not to discuss specifics. But I know about the accusation and I’d like to know if you do too.’

He looked pained. ‘Edie, I can’t even be sure what you’re actually talking about.’

‘I know about the harassment complaint and I know about the mutual decision to let it drop.’

‘She told you all that?’ he asked, looking appalled.

‘And you’ve known about it all along?’

After a moment, he nodded miserably and I felt the blood rush to my face.