Adele Tennant’s gaze in turn fastened on Lola and she took a sharp audible intake of breath.

‘My God, what’s going on here?’ Her voice icy with disbelief, she turned pointedly back to Philip Nicholson. Did she just turn up on the doorstep? Are you mad, letting her into the house?’

Poor Philip, his shock was palpable. Lola, who was pretty stunned too, couldn’t work out who she felt more sorry for, him or herself.

‘How did you find out where I live?’ Adele’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. ‘How did you track me down? My God, you have a nerve. This is a private party—’

‘Adele, stop it,’ Philip intervened at last, raising his hands in horrified protest. ‘This was meant to be a surprise. This is Lola Malone, she—’

‘I know it’s Lola Malone! I’m not senile, Philip! And if she’s come here chasing after my son ...

well, I can tell you, she’s got another think coming.’

Yeek, Dougie! As if she’d just been zapped with an electric cattle prod, Lola spun round; was he here in this room? No, no sign of him unless he’d gone bald or had a sex change.

‘I’m so sorry.’ Philip Nicholson shook his head at Lola by way of apology. ‘This is all most unfortunate. Adele, will you stop interrupting and listen? I don’t know what’s gone on in the past but I invited Lola here tonight because she’s the one who came to the rescue when you were mugged.’ His voice breaking with emotion he said, ‘She saved your life.’

And what’s more, thought Lola, she’s starting to wish she hadn’t bothered.

OK, mustn’t say that. At least Philip’s pronouncement had succeeded in shutting Adele up; while her brain was busy assimilating this unwelcome information her mouth had snapped shut like a bronze-lipglossed trap.

‘I thought you’d like the opportunity to thank her in person,’ Philip went on, and all of a sudden he sounded like a headmaster saddened by the disruptive behaviour of a stroppy teenager.

People were starting to notice now. The couple Adele had been talking to were avidly observing proceedings. The blonde who was Philip’s stepdaughter — crikey, that meant she was Dougie’s older sister — came over and said, puzzled, ‘Mum? Is everything all right?’

‘Fine.’ Recovering herself, Adele managed the most frozen of smiles and looked directly at Lola.

‘So it was you. Well .. . what can I say? Thank you.’

‘No problem.’ That didn’t sound quite right but what else could she say? My pleasure?

‘It was such a brave thing you did,’ exclaimed Dougie’s sister. What was her name? Sally, that was it. ‘I can’t bear to think what might have happened to Mum if you hadn’t dived in like that.

You were amazing!’

Lola managed to maintain a suitably modest smile, while her memory busily rewound to that eventful night ten days ago. Euurrgh, she had stroked Adele’s ankle, she had squeezed Adele Tennant’s thigh .. .

Except she wasn’t Adele Tennant any more. She was Adele Nicholson.

‘So you remarried,’ said Lola, longing to ask about Doug and feeling her stomach clench just at the thought of him.

‘Four years ago.’ Adele was being forced to be polite now, in a through-gritted-teeth, I-really-wish-you-weren’t-here kind of way.

‘Congratulations.’ Lola wondered what Philip, who was lovely, had done to deserve Cruella de Vil as a wife. Presumably Adele did have redeeming qualities; she just hadn’t encountered them yet.

‘Thank you. Well, it’s ... nice to see you again. Can we offer you a drink? Or,’ Adele said hopefully, ‘do you have to rush off?’

Rushing off suddenly seemed a highly desirable thing to do. Excellent idea. Since every minute here was clearly set to be an excruciating ordeal, Lola looked at her watch and said, ‘Actually, there is somewhere else I need to—’

‘Here he is!’ cried Sally, her face lighting up as she waved across the room to attract someone’s attention. ‘Yoohoo, we’re over here! And what sort of time do you call this anyway? You’re late.’

Lola didn’t need to turn around. She knew who it was. Some inner certainty told her that Dougie had entered the drawing room; she could feel his presence behind her. All of a sudden every molecule in her body was on high alert and she was no longer breathing.

Dougie. Doug. Whom she’d thought she’d never see again. ‘Sorry, I was held up at a meeting.

Some of us have a proper job. Hi, everyone, how’s it going? What have I missed?’

Lola was zinging all over; now she’d completely forgotten how to breathe. Except how embarrassing if she keeled over in a dead faint in front of everyone; when a woman had done that in the shop last summer she’d lost control of her bladder.

Imagine coming round, surrounded by Dougie and his family, and discovering you were lying in a puddle of wee.

But this was the kind of situation you needed time to prepare yourself for, time she hadn’t been allowed, and now she was doing her usual thing of being inappropriately flippant.Whereas in reality she was filled with a mixture of giddy excitement — maybe twenty per cent — and eighty per cent fear and trepidation. Because as far as Dougie was concerned, she’d left him without a word, dumped him and run off abroad without a proper explanation. Had ten years been long enough for him to forgive her for that?

‘Well.’ Winking at Lola, Sally spoke with relish. ‘Philip invited along a surprise guest . .

Who turned out to be one very surprised guest. Lola dug her nails into her palms — welcome the pain, welcome the pain and don’t pass out — and turned round to look at him.

‘Hello, Dougie.’

For a split second their eyes locked and it was as if the last decade had never happened. Doug looked the same but taller, broader, better. He’d always had the looks, the ability to stop girls dead in their tracks, and now here he was, having that exact same effect, doing it to her all over again.

Except it would be nice if he could be smiling, looking a bit less stony faced than this.

OK, maybe not very likely, but nice all the same. Even if I just to be polite.

’Lola.’ Doug’s shoulders stiffened as if she were a tax inspector.

Taking care to keep his voice neutral he said, ‘What brings you 1 here?’

Oh God, this was awful, all the old tumultuous feelings were flooding back. She’d never been able to forget Dougie; he’d been her first love.

What’s more, seeing as it had never really happened again since, her One and Only.

‘I did: said Philip. ‘Sorry, I hope this isn’t awkward, but I had no idea you two knew each other.

Anyway, surely that’s J irrelevant now’ He cast a warning glance at Adele with her mouth like a prune and rested a hand reassuringly on Lola’s shoulder. ‘Under the circumstances I’m sure we can put the past behind us. Doug, this is the young lady who came to your mother’s rescue when she was attacked.’

Dougie’s expression altered. ‘God, really? That was you? We didn’t know That’s incredible.’

‘The police told me her name was Lauren something or other,’ Adele said prunily and with a hint of accusation, as if Lola had done it on purpose.

‘It is, but I’ve been called Lola since I was a baby. It was a nickname that just stuck.’

‘Well, thanks for doing what you did.’ There was a warmth in Dougie’s eyes now, breaking through the initial wariness. ‘From what I hear, you were pretty fantastic.’

Oh, I was. Shaking inwardly, Lola did her best to look fantastic but at the same time incredibly self-effacing. Dougie was gorgeous and now fate had brought them back together. The break-up had happened a decade ago; they’d practically been children then. Surely Doug would forgive her for chucking him. ‘Well, when someone needs help you just go for it, you don’t stop to wonder what—’

‘Ooh, I’ve got it now!’ Sally let out a mini-squeal of recognition and pointed excitedly at Lola.

‘You’re the one I never got to meet! You were going out with my little brother when I was living in Dublin with Tim the Tosser! Then you did a bunk and broke his heart!’

Oh don’t say that, please don’t say that. I’m so sorry, I didn’t want to do it, Lola longed to blurt out. It broke my heart too! Doug said drily, ‘Thanks, Sal.’

‘Oh, come on, it was years and years ago, all in the past now. And she did break your heart.’

Sally gave him a jab in the ribs, visibly relishing his discomfort. ‘You were a complete pain, don’t you remember? All because you couldn’t believe your girlfriend had given you the elbow and buggered off abroad.’ She nudged Lola and added cheerfully, Did him the world of good, if you ask me.’

‘That’s funny,’ said Doug, ‘because I don’t remember anyone asking you.’

‘That’s enough.’ Adele intervened before the bickering could start. ‘Doug, the Mastersons have to leave very soon but they really want to see you before they go.’

‘I’ll do that now As soon as I’ve got myself a drink.’ Evidently glad of the reprieve, Doug glanced at Lola and Sally, and said, ‘Excuse me. I’ll see you later.’

They watched Doug cross the room with Adele, while Philip went in search of a waiter.

‘That’s one rattled brother,’ Sally observed gleefully. ‘God, I love it when that happens!’

Guilt and pain swirled up through Lola’s stomach. ‘Did I really break his heart?’

‘Too right you did! Talk about miserable! Ooh, is that yours?’ Lola’s phone was chirruping in her bag. She took it out and Gabe’s name flashed up at her.

‘Feel free.’ Sally made encouraging answer-it gestures.

‘Thanks. Sorry, I’ll just take it outside for a minute.’ Longing to confide in Gabe, Lola excused herself and escaped the party. She crossed the hall, quietly let herself out of the house – better safe than sorry – and answered the phone.

‘I know, I’m early,’ said Gabe. ‘Couldn’t wait. So how’s it going? Are they showering you with diamonds?’