Ann ignored the offer. ‘I will cancel the champagne, then. And here was I thinking we would be having cocktails every evening and canapés at the weekend for guests.’

‘I don’t remember ever making a canapé in this house!’

‘I was only joking.’ Ann could feel her voice tightening. ‘I don’t miss my old life at all, Isobel. Just the people who were in it.’

Chapter 35

Early April 1931

The knock on the scullery door, left open in the spring sunshine to air the rooms, was hesitant. Ann would have missed it altogether had she not been in the kitchen, arranging damp sheets and towels onto the rails of the lowered pulley, ready for it to be hoisted back up above the stove for a final airing.

‘One minute,’ she called, dropping a damp tea towel back into the laundry basket before taking the two steps down into the scullery. ‘Oh.’ She smiled without being aware she was doing it. ‘Mr Anderson, if I remember correctly?’

He smiled back. ‘That’s right. Keith Anderson. I remembered about your front door being stuck so I hope you don’t mind me coming around the back.’ He held out a large envelope. ‘I’m trying to hand these out personally.’

‘Hand out what?’

‘Your census form. I’m one of the collectors, so if you could fill it in on the twenty-sixth of April, I’ll be back some time after that to collect it and I’ll take it to the enumerator’s office.’

She took the envelope. ‘Let’s hope it’s better than the last two they did.’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘The last two censuses.’

‘I don’t think I understand.’

‘Never mind. Thank you for remembering about the door. We really must do something about it. It’s very inconvenient.’

She put her hand on the doorknob, ready to close the door, but he spoke before she managed it.

‘I was wondering, I hope this isn’t rude, but would you mind if I washed my hands?’

Ann understood what he wanted right away. ‘Of course you may.’ She opened the door wider, so he could come in. ‘You can see where the soap is beside the sink, and there’s a towel on the roller on the back of the door here.’ She pointed to the two doors at the far end of the scullery. ‘It’s the door on the left.’

‘Thank you.’

She pulled the kitchen door half closed and went back to hanging up the last of the laundry. After a couple of minutes she heard the water flowing into the scullery sink. He tapped on the door when he was finished.

She beckoned him in and pointed to the empty kitchen chair. ‘Perhaps you could go over the details with me, just so I ensure I fill it in correctly?’

‘Of course.’

‘It must be a long day for you, out delivering forms.’

‘I’m glad of the work.’