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‘Then let’s move on,’ the guide said with a smile. ‘And of course, Beatrix did find lasting happiness a few years later with her land agent, Mr Heelis. What happened was terribly sad but if she had married Norman, she might never have moved permanently to the Lake District and saved so much of this magnificent landscape for generations to come.’

Hearing the story of Beatrix’s second-chance romance, Katie found her eyes prickling with unshed tears again. As they neared the end of the tour, she felt a light squeeze on her arm.

Athene smiled at her encouragingly. ‘Shall we track down something cheering?’

Athene treated them to mulled wine from a cabin and Jess and Wanda sloped off to do some secret squirrelling of their own around the craft market.

‘I’d like to see the walled garden,’ Athene said.

Katie laughed. ‘I didn’t know you were interested in gardening.’

‘I’m not that much, but I’d like a chat.’

The garden was set below the house terrace and sheltered by high walls, with an elaborate glasshouse at one end. Athene sat down on a metal bench next to Katie. For a short while, they sat in silence, blowing steam from the mulled wine and inhaling the spicy scent.

‘I wonder if Beatrix sat here and drowned her sorrows over her love life,’ Athene said wryly.

‘I’m sure she did, although I doubt she had mulled wine to console her … So you found out Guy was engaged while we were in Keswick?’ Katie asked. ‘Was it someone from the agency who told you?’

‘I suspected he had a girlfriend but not who or how serious it was so I supposed I was in denial. Even if I’d known he was taken, I couldn’t have simply fallen out of love with him. I suppose love doesn’t work like that.’

‘Sadly, no,’ Katie said.

A rueful smile touched Athene’s lips. ‘Can you believe it was actually Guy himself who broke the news about the engagement? Said he wanted me to be among the first to know because I introduced him to Natalia. It was at the agency summer party last year. She’s a rights manager for another publisher. Polish. Brilliant and very glamorous. Guy said it was “love at first sight” and he had me to thank for the greatest joy of his life.’

‘Oh, God, Athene …’ Katie’s heart broke a tiny bit more. She didn’t dare say that from a friend’s point of view it was a minuscule positive that Athene hadn’t slept with Guy and that he didn’t even realise how she felt so she’d been spared the humiliation of rejection.

‘Unbeknown to me, Natalia was going through a divorce, so they’ve kept everything very discreet. Now she’s “gloriously free” as he put it and so they’ve decided to announce the engagement for Christmas.’

Katie didn’t know what to say and at that moment, half a dozen people walking their dogs chose to stroll past the bench, chattering loudly. A pug sniffed at Athene’s Russell & Bromley boots.

‘Leave the lady alone, Nigel!’ its owner said. ‘Sorry, he has a thing for ladies’ feet.’

‘Whatever floats his boat,’ Athene replied and the man scooped Nigel up into his arms and carried the squirming dog away.

‘It’s OK if you can’t find the words for my stupidity,’ Athene murmured when the group had gone.

‘No. No. You are not stupid,’ Katie declared. ‘You’re human.’

‘Well, I feel stupid because this isn’t the first time I’ve had my heart broken. Ten years ago, I fell for a very buff firefighter who was in my book club. I thought he was single and we had a couple of dates but he was married and the moment I realised, I broke it off.’ Athene took a breath. ‘Look, can we walk? It might sound mad but I’d feel better talking about this if we were moving. Somehow, sitting here motionless makes it worse.’

‘Of course. This bench is numbing my bum anyway. And I’d no idea about any of this – Guy or the firefighter,’ Katie said, realising just how little she knew of her agent and friend’s personal life.

‘Why would you? You didn’t know me then. I threw myself into my career and hardened up. It’s why I’ve always been so driven. I was afraid if I left a gap in my life, I might fill it by getting my heart broken again. And it worked until I met Guy a couple of years ago. Back then, he definitely was single and, naturally, we met for lunch a couple of times, and at parties, as you do in publishing … and at first, I thought we might start something but he never said anything and I never dated him and I suppose I have to console myself that if I had, he’d have met Natalia anyway and …’ Athene paused, her voice ragged with emotion.

Katie could well believe Athene might have thought Guy felt something for her. Katie herself had found it hard to get used to the fulsome world of publishing at first, all kisses between strangers and effusive emails. Almost everyone was charming and quite a few of them were glamorous, just like the handsome and charismatic Guy.

‘Can we walk?’ Athene asked again. ‘I’m getting cold.’

‘Of course. It’s easy to forget this is a business,’ Katie said, imagining those cosy lunches with Guy, the touch on Athene’s arm that lingered too long, the ‘have another glass of champagne, darling’ moments.

‘It is but I’m not new to it. I’ve worked in it for nearly twenty years and I should have known.’

More visitors sauntered past so Katie and Athene strolled, sipping wine and gazing up at the peak of Skiddaw visible in the distance. Jaunty Christmas music filtered down from the courtyard above them.

‘Athene …’ Katie began when they were alone again. ‘Please don’t beat yourself up. I’m not surprised that Guy made you think that there was more from his side than there was.’

‘Ha. That all sounds very Austenesque and I have thought that sometimes he went beyond the usual business courtesies. You know, a kiss on the cheek that went on longer than it ought to have, a risqué remark, flattery that crossed the line … all of which I freely admit I thoroughly enjoyed.’ She heaved a sigh. ‘Though, of course, it clearly meant nothing to him and it’s over and I need to deal with it.’