So here she was, making the most of it. Soon after arriving in the country, she realised she’d done the right thing—missing out on such a place would have been a travesty. From the start, the people had been wonderful—a middle-aged woman pointing her in the right direction at the airport so she could get transport into the city centre, and a man about her age helping her to lift her suitcase into the luggage rack when she got on the bus.

And now here was Emil—seemingly determined she should get the same happy hour offer as everyone else, despite being a solo traveller. Not that paying full price would have been much of a problem. Even for a student, the prices of, well, everything in Budapest were incredibly cheap. She’d wondered many a time if she was being undercharged for things in shops and restaurants, but apparently, you just got seriously good deals in the city.

Soon everyone was seated, and a tinny-sounding female voice was piped out of speakers mounted on the wall nearby. “Okay, everybody. Welcome on board the Hop-On, Hop-Off River Cruise, and thank you for choosing us. The tour is approximately two hours, takes a circular route, and is made up of three stops along the river. You may of course stay on board for the entire trip if you wish. From our position on the Danube River, you will see such sights as the Hungarian Parliament Building, the Fishermen’s Bastion, the Chain Bridge—which you can see now, of course—the National Theatre and much more.” She paused as the vessel fired up, waited until the initial roar of the engine died down, then continued. “We are beginning our tour now. Please enjoy yourselves, and if you have any questions or requests, please ask a member of staff. We will be pleased to assist you. Thank you.”

The speaker crackled as the microphone switched off, and almost immediately a low buzz of chatter and activity came from the other passengers. They retrieved cameras and maps and began admiring the scenery, pointing things out, nudging each other and laughing.

“I’ve met someone, H.” He’d looked terrified and relieved all at once, and that had told Hermione everything she needed to know.

“And you love her?”

Taken aback by her blunt response, Stephen had opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, then nodded. “Yes. I’m so sorry.”

“Okay.” To this day, she had no idea how she’d remained so calm.

Or did she? How did one stay calm when breaking up with one’s boyfriend of three years?

Maybe if one hadn’t been as deeply in love as one thought…

Hermione shook her head, hoping to dislodge the unpleasant memories of the recent past. It didn’t matter now, anyway. It was over. She’d insisted on taking the trip to Budapest—mainly to spite him, so he couldn’t whisk his new girlfriend away on the romantic weekend break that she’d planned and booked. No way. If he wanted to romance his new woman, he could damn well organise it himself.

As she emerged into the main space of the tour boat, she worried there wasn’t enough room for her and she might have to share a table with someone else. Not that it would be the end of the world, but over the past couple of days in the Hungarian capital, she’d become accustomed to her own company, even begun enjoying it. And the beautiful city had been more than enough of a distraction, in any case.

Fortunately, she spotted a table tucked away at the back, and made for it. Taking the seat beside the window, she returned her attention to the view. Peering up at Buda Castle, perched imposingly on the hill, the funicular railway carrying people up and down the steep incline, she looked forward to seeing the building when it was full dark. Not just the castle, but also the citadel atop Gellert Hill, the Gellert Spa, the Fishermen’s Bastion, and, of course, the Hungarian Parliament building.

In spite of the stunning view, she sighed. Travelling alone hadn’t been the original plan. This long weekend was meant to be a romantic getaway for her and Stephen before they both went back to their respective universities at opposite ends of England to complete the final year of their degrees. He’d been acting weird in the run up to the Christmas break, and when they’d both arrived in their hometown and met up, he’d seemed odder still. Gentle questioning had gotten Hermione nowhere, so she’d just left Stephen to his strange mood, resolving not to let him ruin Christmas with her family.

Apparently he’d had the same idea. The day after Boxing Day, everything became clear.