Although Caroline told her she didn’t have to, Jessica had spent some of her free time trying to put together a speech. Despite that, when the moment came after the meal, she just ad-libbed, talking about her friend and telling the story of how they met quite by chance because they ended up sitting next to each other in a lesson many years ago. She ended with a standard ‘Congratulations’ and sat down, leaving it to the best man to poke fun at the groom.

Just when it looked as if everything was completed, with the staff hovering ready to start moving the tables so the floor could be cleared, Jessica heard someone else tinkling their glass. She looked sideways and saw Hugo rising to his feet, tapping his knife on his champagne flute to get people’s attention. Caroline nudged Jessica with her elbow and the two women exchanged the same ‘What’s going on?’ look.

Before Jessica could intervene, Hugo started to speak. ‘I would just like to add my congratulations to the happy couple and I hope they haven’t dropped too much food on themselves.’ He sat back down as quickly as he had stood up and, apart from one person who started clapping at the back of the room before stopping when they realised no one else was joining in, there was silence.

Jessica noticed Caroline look down at her lap, presumably wondering if she had dropped any food. She picked up the cream-coloured satin napkin that was still on her lap and went to put it on the table before squealing slightly and opening it out. Jessica saw there was a beautifully drawn picture of the bride and the groom on the material. She had no idea what had been used to create it but Caroline first showed it to Thomas and then turned it around for the rest of the room to see. It really was a strange piece of art but absolutely compelling because of its perfect likeness of the two people.

‘Did you draw that?’ Jessica asked Hugo, who shrugged with a vague acknowledgement as people around the room began to applaud the unconventional gift.

Caroline turned it around to have another look and then leant behind Jessica to talk to Hugo. ‘This is amazing. Thanks so much. We’ll get it framed or something, it’s so unique.’

Hugo continued to nod in the way Jessica had seen him do before when he had stunned people with tricks. This was slightly different but equally as impressive, although Jessica never ceased to be amazed by how strange he was. She wondered what else he was good at, given she could now add art to the list of illusion, singing and taxidermy he had impressed her with.

The tables were cleared by staff and a band started playing soft background music. There were plenty of wine bottles still around the edges of the room that hadn’t been finished during the meal and Jessica happily drank away. She was feeling nice and tipsy when the first dance finally got under way. The groom’s parents were both in tears, leaving Jessica feeling a little uncomfortable as she rarely showed any outward emotion. Halfway through the song, Caroline beckoned her onto the floor but it was Hugo who dragged her towards the happy couple and put his hands on her waist, initiating a slow dance. Other couples followed and, before Jessica knew it, she was in the middle of a host of people gently swaying to the song.

If anyone else from the station had been present, Jessica would have felt deeply embarrassed but, as it was, she allowed Hugo to lead her around. She stepped in closer to him, letting him hold her and figuring he was a good choice of person to bring. He was definitely odd but at least he wasn’t trying to come on to her.

After what seemed like an age, the song finally ended and everyone stopped to applaud the newly married couple. Hugo grinned and stepped away from Jessica almost as quickly as he had pulled her onto the dance floor in the first place.

While some carried on dancing, Jessica trailed her guest back to the children’s table. She didn’t know why that was where he wanted to sit but followed his lead. A few of the younger boys were racing up and down at the rear of the room but Hugo beckoned them over and showed them a trick where he made a wine glass disappear in front of their eyes. Before Jessica knew what was happening, there was a small crowd of people around them watching the magician go through a routine of making things disappear and reappear, or simply guessing the contents of their pockets after asking a few questions. As she suspected he would have, Hugo also had a deck of cards in his pocket and moved onto card tricks, bringing various ‘oooh’ noises from the people present.

At one point he borrowed a bracelet from Jessica’s mother and made it reappear on Jessica’s own arm. Neither of her parents seemed to believe that she wasn’t in a relationship with Hugo. ‘Oh, he’s lovely,’ her mum kept saying, while her dad said he couldn’t wait for the man to take Jessica off his hands, openly asking how much it would cost him. Jessica didn’t have the inclination to tell them Hugo lived above a betting shop and surrounded himself with dead stuffed animals. Luckily for Jessica, her parents left relatively early as her father was feeling tired. She kissed them both and assured them she would call in the next day or two.

The photographer was still hanging around and had moved from taking photos of the couple dancing, cutting the cake and eating the cake to focusing on the other guests. He was particularly taken with Hugo and, as the crowd slowly began to thin with the younger children leaving, he asked for a picture of Jessica and Hugo together.

Jessica wasn’t in the mood but had no time to object before Hugo shuffled into the seat next to her, beaming at the camera.

‘Can you smile for me,’ the picture-taker said to Jessica as if addressing a child. She did her best to not look annoyed. ‘Okay, now can you each hold a glass as if you’re toasting the camera,’ he added. Hugo eagerly picked up his glass while Jessica’s was again empty. Someone poured her more wine and she copied Hugo in saluting the camera with her glass, smiling wearily. ‘Okay, can you swap hands?’ the photographer said, pointing at Hugo then at Jessica. ‘You’re holding it with your left hand and you’ve got it with your right. It doesn’t look right.’

Jessica swapped and the photographer snapped away. He went to stand up but a thought popped into her head. ‘Can I have a look at those pictures?’ she asked. The man seemed confused but crouched down, turning the camera around so she could see the images in the viewfinder. In the second set of pictures, she and Hugo were holding the glasses in their outside hands. She had hers in her left, while he was using his right. In the first set, they had the drinks on their inside hands next to each other. The photographer was correct when he said things didn’t look right. ‘Thanks,’ Jessica said, letting the man stand again.

After he had walked away, she turned to Hugo. ‘Are you left-handed?’ He shrugged in the same way he always did when acknowledging something. ‘You are?’ Jessica asked again, wanting confirmation.

‘Yes.’

‘So would you always pick a glass up with your left hand?’

‘I guess.’

Jessica thought about herself. Most of the time she would drink using her right hand. On occasion she might use her left but not often. She stood quickly.

‘Do you mind if I leave, Hugo?’

‘No, I’ll come with you if you want?’

‘I’m going back to the station for a while.’ It was an odd thing to do given it was late on a Saturday evening but the man said nothing, as if her answer was the most normal thing.

‘That’s fine. I’ve enjoyed it today.’

Jessica leant forward and kissed him on the forehead. ‘Thanks for coming. We should go out again sometime.’

She left him showing off more card tricks and went to find Caroline to apologise for leaving early. She said she had a slightly upset stomach and kissed the newly married couple, warning Thomas he’d better look after his bride. The pair were going on honeymoon for a fortnight the next day, so Jessica told her friend she expected a present and hugged her a final time before walking quickly out to the front of the building.