Hugo meets a fantastic girl, and - curiously - she agrees to go on a date with him
Soon, Hugo and Phyllida are an item. They go to parties together, concerts, long walks on Sunday. It's great.
Then one day, Hugo is out shopping with his big sister Roberta, and he remembers that Phyllida works in the big menswear shop in town.
He's a bit anxious about mixing business and pleasure, but it turns out - mostly - fine. Phyllida helps him with party shirts and a warm jumper for hill walking and chats to Roberta. But when Hugo mentions maybe needing a suit, Phyllida freezes up. "Formalwear's closed", she says, though the siblings can plainly see other customers trying things on.
Hugo lets it go and doesn't think about it again until six months later, when Roberta is getting married and he needs a suit for the wedding. Again he and Roberta go to Phyllida's shop, and again she helps with shirts and ties, but comes up with complicated lies to avoid the formalwear department. In the end, Hugo gives up, and gets a suit the following week in another shop.
Soon after, it's the wedding, and Roberta chooses Phyllida as her maid of honour, so friendly have they become. But later, Roberta pulls Hugo aside.
"I don't see a future for you and Phyllida," she says. "You know I love you both, but there's no point hiding from it. We both know that ...
... She just won't suit you."
