Nathan did live literally round the corner from Sergei (which was probably another good reason for not attempting any kind of three-part harmony) though his flat was much smaller and his study the size of an average broom cupboard, but he also owned the cellar, and once he could afford it he was going to have it converted into further living accommodation.

I elicited all this information from him within the first few minutes of arriving (surprisingly nervously) on his doorstep, also clocking his casual clothes, heart-wrenching smile and burgeoningly virile five o’clock shadow, all of which I dare say would soon be making an appearance in The Orchid Huntress.

While he went to make coffee I spent the time staring around the study at the piles of manuscripts, shelves of books by terribly well-known authors, and especially at the picture on his desk of a pretty girl with a vaguely familiar actressy look about her.

It’s a pity people don’t seem to give each other signed photos any more (except for Sergei, who hands them out to everyone – there was one propped up on a bookcase) because a scrawled ‘Yours for ever, Louise’ or ‘From your loving sister Kate’ would have been terribly helpful …

And what was I expecting anyway? That he would be living a celibate life waiting for Tina Devino to come along and make him an offer he couldn’t refuse?

Then my eyes fell on a manuscript with Linny’s name on it. I quickly glanced at the top page and it was totally Mills & Boon, so if she’d been sending her novels anywhere else she’d been wasting her time and Tershie’s money, though come to think of it, even posting out a hundred manuscripts would be the merest drop in the ocean of his wealth.

Fortunately I heard the clink of crockery before Nathan came back, so was sitting demurely, ankles crossed, when he came in. Over the chocolate Hobnobs I put him in the picture regarding my contractual situation with Salubrious Press, and told him how my ex, Tim, had suddenly become my editor so that they planned to release Dark, Passionate Earth with indecent haste both in paperback and hardback at once in June, and then Miracle had given me to understand that that was it: they wouldn’t want the option on another.

They certainly hadn’t done anything to promote Spring Breezes. I’d done it myself – with the help of the tabloids, who’d got hold of some ridiculous story about Sergei and someone they assumed was me in his garden, and it was all quite absurd – but I didn’t mind so long as my book sold. And actually it was wonderful now because I was getting publicity, including the Brown’s promotion, simply for myself and not because I was in a relationship with a famous man, although that had never done me any harm either.