kinga conquers

Kinga showed she can win people over without snogging them, bonding with Derek effortlessly in an early morning chinwag.

Firstly, she had brought cigarettes, a real friend maker for those who like a fag. But she was also armed with compliments.

"Thank you, Derek. You've been lovely," she told him. "You know what I really like about Eugene? He's a gentleman."

"He is," agreed Derek. "I was thinking he must have been such a nice little boy."

Kinga asked Derek if she had seemed "tipsy" last night. He thought they both were.

"I needed something to calm me down," said Kinga. Though whatever she took to calm her down she could probably claim a refund on.

Derek appreciated Kinga's sense of fun and said, "I've still got lots of fun there. I just feel as though I ration things. A bit of fun, a bit of seriousness, a bit of tenderness.

"You can't keep on having fun, fun, fun," observed Kinga.

"You become so exhausted," said fun boy Derek.

Kinga became intrigued by the departure of Orlaith and asked Derek's take on it. "From an early stage I thought it would be difficult for her," he said. "She kept saying she wanted to leave. I said, if you want to leave, you can leave. You have legs."

He also revealed his concern for her. "When she left, I prayed for Orlaith. I prayed for what everyone is entitled to. Peace with themselves."

She will be thrilled to hear it, Derek.