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Lucy winced. “Try ten.”

“And you’ve been mad at me for hiding things. I thought you just hooked up over Christmas or something!”

“Don’t rub it in. I already feel like a shit friend. Harry wanted to tell you straight away, but I thought it best to stay mum for a bit. Plus, I must admit, sneaking around was fucking hot.”

“If you’ve been dating for ten weeks, it’s not just sex, Lucy. Why aren’t you at his parents’ dinner? Surely he asked you?”

Lucy shuffled her drawings. “It’s a family thing.”

“Sausages in the garden, a post-meal stroll around the Berkshire estate, Scrabble in the library—Harry’s family are rich, sure, but they’re really nice.”

“Sausages in the garden? Is that a euphemism?”

Alex laughed. “Maybe that can be your code for sex from now on.”

Lucy’s phone lit up. “Bloody hell, that’s number seven.”

“Mark again?” Alex caught a flicker of a frown on Lucy’s face. “You shouldn’t be in the middle. I’ll text him—”

“No.” Lucy smacked her hand on top of Alex’s. “You want time, I’ll buy you time.” Lucy’s phone buzzed again. “For fuck’s sake, Mark.” She snatched it from the drawings. “Oh, it’s Naomi. What…? Oh…Mark’s been texting her, too. Want me to text her back?”

“Why is he bothering Naomi? I can understand Freddie—”

“I spoke to Freds while you were napping. Mark called him first thing.”

“So, everyone knows?”

“Lex, Freddie and I debated telling you…”

“What have you guys done?”

“We haven’t done anything. Mark’s flying back. He’s landing in two hours.”

“I don’t want to see him.”

“I figured as much. I told Freddie to tell Mark to do one.”

“I’m serious, Lucy.”

Lucy’s shoulders deflated. “We argued about something else, too.” She tapped her phone and turned the screen around, exhaling forcefully. “I found this.”

NationalMail.comboasted a New Year’s Eve exclusive: an article with photo after grainy photo of Mark and Fallon pressed against a wall at the Stag’s Head. Each image was credited to a name Alex didn’t recognize, a fan most likely cashing in on her heartbreak.

Alex’s phone lit up with yet another text.

Honey, we saw the photos. Worried about you. Call me. Dad x

“Well, that’s it then. If Dad knows, everyone does.”

Alex closed her eyes and laid her head on the table.